For The Love Of Yuri
by Linnea Farhen
Summary: Slight AU. Loving Yuri was one thing that Wolfram will never regret... even though he will never acknowledge it at all. But even if Yuri will love him, can he wholeheartedly accept Wolfram whatever it takes just to be with him? How far will he go to prove that love he has for him? YuuRam
1. True And Yet Hidden

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kyo Kara Maou and its characters.

**Author's note: **This story will be set in Earth, so that means, it's in the modern times. And forgive me if I included some grammatical errors here since I still need to polish my English writing skills. And don't forget to leave your reviews here, okay? Happy reading!

**Warning: **The characters are probably or undeniably not in their usual selves.

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**Summary:**

For so long, Wolfram had love Yuri but never managed to admit it to him for one reason. And as his feelings slowly began to crumble at a realization that Yuri will never acknowledge his feelings for him, Wolfram unknowingly expressed his feeling in a way that only he will know that he loved Yuri more than anyone else.

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**~~CHAPTER ONE~~**

**_True And Yet Hidden_  
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_I waved hi to Yuri when I saw him at the church one day. I accidentally saw him there since I was about to ask for guidance for the upcoming exam tomorrow. Even though he saw me, it seemed that the smile I saw on his face wasn't meant for me._

_That made me stop._

_I stopped on my tracks when I saw that._

_How come? How come he never smiled at me like that? I could only see him smile at me when he's teasing me. But for once, that sweet smile engraved on his face… A kind of smile he never showed to me ever since I met him…_

_That's when I turned and I saw a girl smiling and waving her hand for someone. She's just about my age, I could tell that. And I think… she's even more amazing and mature than I am._

_That's what made me down and depressed. But the one that happened next had definitely made me shock, I couldn't even move._

_That girl approached Yuri with a smile, and unexpectedly, with a hug, as well. And it definitely hurt me when he didn't even make a last glance at me before he left the church._

_That's right._

_It definitely stabbed my heart just by looking at that scene._

_I kneeled because I was too weak to know what's going on. I just… looked at them slipped away happily._

_And that's the time I asked myself._

_Is it over? Am I not going to be with Yuri anymore? And who was that girl anyway? How did she know Yuri? Are they… a couple?_

_Without knowing, my tears fell… hard. Harder than I had ever expected. And what's worse… I was broke._

_But I'm never going to let him know that. Not now, not ever!_

_The only thing I couldn't accept that time was…_

_Yuri was the man who had hurt me much more than I could have ever imagined. Will the man I love with all my heart never going to know my feelings even though I tried so hard to let him know?_

_And with that, I cried silently and even harder than I did earlier._

_Am I really destined to have my heart broken by the man I truly love? I don't know how much that hurts… And seriously, I don't want to know… _

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I forcefully opened my eyes when I heard something. Great, it's my stupid alarm clock again. So I grabbed it and turned it off. Then left with no choice, I stood up and sat on my bed. After I remembered what I had just dreamed earlier, I heaved a heavy sigh.

Geez! I can't believe I dreamed of that event happened more than three months ago. I've been trying to forget that… that horrible memory all those times. I shouldn't think about it, that's what I'm saying to myself up until now. It did help.

For at least a month. But for me to have a dream about what happened that time, the very same pain I've felt during those times came rushing to me and consuming my heart.

I really don't want to remember that… Everything about that.

But I never thought that I was crying because of that. I only noticed that when my pet cat Yamato made a sound as if he's worried about me. And to cease his worries, I smiled. I smiled a real smile that Yamato really wanted to see. That's when he felt relieved somehow.

But when I was about to get out of my bed, I suddenly felt dizzy for no reason. Ii I didn't place my hand on the table and grabbed the edge, I might have fallen.

I couldn't help but to sigh. This has kept on going on for two weeks now. I'm suddenly feeling dizzy and I looked kind of pale. I've been losing my skin color. And some had said that the once sparkling and gleeful eyes of mine were gone. It's as if I was struck by an illness that might be unknown to me.

I noticed all of that, especially whenever I'm facing the mirror. I know that my mother would be frantic if she'll see me like this. I smiled at that thought. No doubt that me mother really do care for me and my brothers even though she's working abroad. She would give me and my brothers a call almost everyday whenever she has free time.

And if she has a long break from her work, she would definitely come home to spend her vacation with us, together as a family.

And I really love her for that.

I looked at the mirror. I heaved a heavy sigh when I saw myself becoming frail and even paler. My brothers wouldn't want me to see this. And I don't want them to see it, as well.

It's a good thing that it's already the start of summer vacation. When my teacher, Yamamoto Megumi-sensei, saw me like this, she asked the school director to let me have my early vacation so I could fully rest.

I guess the pressure from working and studying continuously had already began to pile up, that's why I look sick.

All of a sudden, I heard my phone ring. I slowly went to get it in my backpack. But then I hesitated if I should answer the call when I saw the name of the person calling me that appeared on the LCD screen.

Bu then I realized that it would be rude if I didn't answer the call. I sighed a few more times before I opened the phone and answered the call.

I placed it on my ears, with a blank expression on my face.

"Hello?" I said.

I heard a happy and energetic voice that surely came from Yuri on the other line. "I'm sorry if I called you so early in the morning I hope I didn't disturb you."

"No, you didn't. it's okay I woke up a few minutes before you called." And then I forced a smile to appears on my face. "What made you call, anyway?"

"Ah, that? Yamamoto-sensei said that you're going to take an early vacation starting today. Why didn't you tell me? I was worried sick because I don't even know the reason why you are taking a vacation. Sensei didn't even want to tell me."

"I just need to rest, that's all. You don't have to overreact."

"Is that so? Okay. I'll be hanging up. Erika's waiting for me. We'll be going to the amusement park today," Yuri said in a happy and excited voice that clenched my heart slowly.

"It's okay. By the way, have fun. Bye." And after that, I turned off my phone immediately because I don't want to hear Yuri's voice any longer. As I said those words to him, my voice was shaking and my tears streaked down to my face once again.

It's getting harder and harder for me to talk to Yuri each coming day. And for him mentioning the name of the girl he's dating, it really hurt me to the core. It guess it's all over.

But even though I kept on saying that it's over, that I don't want to love him anymore, how come that I couldn't stop myself from loving him continuously for more than five years? How come that even thoygh it hurt to know that he's already dating someone, that Yuri and Erika appreared to be a couple already because of their treatment to each other, I could never stop myself loving him even more?

I love him… so much.

Even if he already loves someone… Even if it's not me at all…

After I took a bath, I changed my clothes and went down to have breakfast. Well, food is my only way to ease up the pain I'm feeling right now. It's a good thing that oldest brother Gwendal had prepared a lot. That's why I enjoyed eating along with him and my other brother, Conrad.

After that, I went back to my bedroom since that's what Conrad said when he noticed that I looked pale. I couldn't say no, or else he'll be worried sick about me when I disobeyed him. I love both of my brothers so much that I don't want to see them worried about me.

When I arrived at my room, I saw my phone. I looked at it sadly as I remembered my conversation with Yuri earlier.

Then I asked myself a question regarding the situation I'm in.

Am I really destined to have this kind of pain because of loving Yuri? Don't I deserve to have the right to be happy?

But then I realized that I would never be happy without Yuri. Oh, how cruel my fate is! Loving a person who has already somebody to love, and I never had a chance to admit my feelings to him in fear of losing my _friend_.

At that time, I can feel that I'm getting weaker and weaker by the second. That's why I decided to sit. And then I thought that maybe to ease the pain and sadness that I'm feeling right now, I should write something.

Well, it was Conrad who told that to me before.

And so, with a pen and a paper, I began writing. And I decided that maybe I should write a poem since I think writing a poem would help me bring out all my thought about what I'm feeling right now.

I was glad that I managed to finish it in a day. I admit that I'm not really good at writing poems but… this was just a way of releasing what I feel all these years for Yuri.

Yes, everything that I'm feeling right now… It's all about that guy… The person who made me feel happiness, sadness, jealousy, contentment, pain… and most of all, love.

With a genuine smile on my face, though it's sad, I stood up from my seat. But all of a sudden, I felt dizzy. And after that, everything around me went black… with only one name that left my lips silently.

"Yuri…"

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Wolfram was found by Gwendal and Conrad lying on the floor. Without a doubt, his sickness had finally overcome his body. Tooo much stress and pressure from work and study, with the inclusion of emotional distress, had definitely made Wolfram into this state, though they had no idea about what's really happening to their baby brother.

Gwendal immediately carried Wolfram and placed him on the bed. And then he decided to call an ambulance to bring Wolfram to the hospital.

That's when Conrad saw a paper placed on the study table. It seemed that Wolfram was just done writing when he collapsed. With the intention of knowing what's really going on with his brother, he read what was written.

Only to get surprised by what he had read.

**EVEN IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE**

**I want to ask myself a question about what I feel  
****Whenever I see you with the girl you love for real****  
Will you ever treat me the way you treat her?  
Or will I always be a friend to you and no other?**

**If only I could tell you how hurt I am this moment  
For a sight of you two together give my heart this torment  
Still, I can forgive you for all the pain you gave to my heart  
For I don't to break and scatter everything apart**

**I'll be your friend even if you love someone****  
Even if you can't simply love me more than anyone  
I'll just settle down here as I watch you two together  
Hoping you might feel the love that I can't give to another**

**I'll always be with you if I could be happy that way****  
For I don't want to go somewhere without you there to stay  
Even if it kills my heart with just a sight of the two of you  
I can't do anything even if I feel a love so true**

**I will be loving you forever even if you love someone  
****Because you're the only person who can be my brightest sun  
I'll love you even if my heart was slowly torn somehow  
Even if it hurts me so much that might kill me now**

**P.S.—Yuri, I hope you'll find the love and happiness that you deserve. I'll be here for you no matter what happens. I love you so much.**

**And I'll always love you… no matter what it takes…**

**I hope you'll know that soon…**

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Yuri will always be my first true love. And loving him was one of the greatest things that I've ever done in my entire life.

And I'll always be with him, no matter how far he will go or how long it will take.

I wanted him to take the path he had chosen.

I could only hope that the path he chose will lead him to happiness…

I don't care about if I won't be happy. The greatest happiness I'll ever have is the fact that he came to my life and made me someone new by loving him.

Even if that feelings of mine will never be reciprocated.

I love you… Yuri…

Always… Always…

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**Just give me your comments or reactions concerning this sappy or rather mushy story. Okay? This story is probably going to take two to three chapters to be completed.**

**Read and review, guys! They'll be much appreciated**

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WOLFRAM: **_Having so much pain that I bear in my heart for so long had made me_ _face the worst situation yet...Am I really destined to be sad forever?  
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**YURI: **_I don't want to lose the one I care the most... but then, why does it have to be this way? __Is this really the fate meant for me? Am I not going to be with him anymore?_

**Next Time: FOR THE LOVE OF YURI Chapter 2 - Now Or Never.**

**_Is this really a love that will never bear fruit?_  
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	2. Now Or Never

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kyo Kara Maou and its characters.

**Author's note: **This is the second chapter of the story entitled "For the Love of Yuri". Sorry for the completely late update because I've been pretty busy these past days because of the articles that I need to write and the Intramurals at our school. And that includes my project in Advance Programming.

Anyway, please don't forget to review and you could give me some ideas that you want me to add in here and I might include them here. In any case, happy reading!

**Warning: **The characters are probably or undeniably not in their usual selves.

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**~~CHAPTER TWO~~**

_**Now Or Never**_

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Gwendal and Conrad called an ambulance in order to take Wolfram to the hospital. And it only took 10 minutes for them to get there.

On the way, Conrad was still thinking about the poem that the blond had written a while back… and also the message attached to it. Both he and Gwendal never thought that their baby brother would actually fall in love with a young man who became his only friend since the day that they transferred to Yuri's neighborhood.

And that was 10 years ago… when Wolfram was still confused and clueless on what's really happening to their family.

Wolfram and Yuri became fast friends when Yuri saved Wolfram from the bullies that was about to hurt the latter. That event had made him gained a friend worthy of his trust.

There weren't too much people at the hospital when they arrived there. And immediately, Wolfram was sent to the emergency room in order to be checked and examined by the doctors. They were a bit tensed and more worried as seconds went by… until the examination itself reached an hour before the doctor that examined their brother came out.

And from what Conrad and Gwendal could tell, it's not very good news.

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Yuri was happily spending his time at the amusement park along with Erika, since he promised her that he'll be spending this day with her. But sometimes, his thought wasn't actually focusing on having fun with the young lady.

It was because he was getting worried about Wolfram.

He knew that Wolfram was sick but it actually doesn't seem so whenever they're together at school. The blond was even infuriated (at the very least) whenever he was teasing him, and that's actually the Wolfram that he knew for 10 years now.

He first met Wolfram when he saw him about to be bullied by some prankster kids on their neighborhood a few hours after Wolfram's family had transferred. He got fascinated to befriend him since there weren't much foreigners living in that neighborhood. And he was surprised to know that Wolfram could actually speak Japanese despite being a foreigner. Since that fateful day, he considered Wolfram as one of the most important people in his life.

But that didn't really become the reason why Wolfram was so important to him.

Wolfram is important to him because of one shocking and unbelievable, and yet beautiful reason that up until now, no one knows except Erika.

He was actually in love with Wolfram!

He was in love with him not because of hi _bishounen _looks that's compared to a Hollywood star, but it's because he could already feel in his heart that Wolfram was already his destiny. He knew it was completely strange especially for a guy like him but still, he couldn't help it. He couldn't help thinking about it ever since it has entered his mind and struck his heart with that realization.

Wolfram is his destiny, that's what he wanted to think and feel.

And he knew that meeting him wasn't merely just a coincidence; it was an inevitable fate.

But even though he could feel that, for some reasons, he doesn't have any guts to admit that to his blond friend.

That's right… A friend…

That's what he wanted to think about their relationship right now since he couldn't admit the truth to him.

But it seems that their friendship was just nothing to Wolfram. It's because if they're really friends, he would know the reason why he took and early vacation. He should be the first person to know that, besides Wolfram's family, of course.

He heaved a heavy sigh after thinking about that. And he doesn't even notice that Erika was just beside him.

"You're worried about Wolfram, aren't you?" Erika asked but most likely, it was a statement.

Yuri just smiled sadly at that. "You can tell, huh?" And then he sighed again. "Yeah, you're right. But I guess it wouldn't matter if I should be feeling this way. He wouldn't even care."

"That's because you're surprisingly good at hiding your true feelings for him," Erika said. Then she became serious. "But if you're going to be like that all the time, there's no way that he would know you truly care for him."

"I know that. It's just that…" But Yuri couldn't continue what he was going to say.

"You're afraid of losing him, aren't you?"

He looked at her with wide eyes. But after a while, he just laughed weakly. He really couldn't hide anything from this girl anymore, especially everything that concerns him and Wolfram. "You're really good at guessing my feelings, huh?"

"That's not a guess. I'm just stating the truth."

"I'm sorry, Erika," he suddenly said.

She frowned. "What for?"

"I ruined your fun because I became too worried about Wolfram," he said, without looking at her.

Erika faintly smiled. "You don't have to apologize. I'm actually glad that you could really confide me with anything concerning your _love life_."

Yuri just laughed at that. And then Erika soon followed.

But that fun abruptly ended when Yuri's cell phone suddenly rang. He took it from hi pocket and looked at the name displayed on the LCD screen as it continues to ring. But it does make him curious to see Conrad's name on it.

"Huh? Conrad? I wonder why he calling…" he murmured and then he decided to answer the call. "Hello? This is Yuri."

"Yuri, I'm sorry if I called you all of a sudden," Conrad said on the other line. "But this is actually important."

That made him frown. "Important? Is there something wrong, Conrad?" But after he asked that, an image of Wolfram suddenly entered his mind. "Did something happen to Wolfram?"

Silence. And after a while, Yuri heard a heavy sigh on the other line that made him even more determined and concerned to know what's going on.

"His body finally gave up…" Conrad silently said.

But even so, Yuri clearly heard it. And he doesn't like what that implies to.

Erika, on the other hand, could only watch Yuri as he tightened his grip on the railings near the merry-go-round. And she couldn't help but to feel worried for him.

"Where is he?" Yuri asked the man on the other line. "I need to see him… Please…" There was a hint of pleasing in his voice.

And because of that, Conrad told Yuri the hospital where Wolfram was brought to.

After that, he ended that call and then he sighed heavily soon after. He looked at Erika with a sad face and the woman somehow understood what he wanted to do at that moment.

"I'm really sorry, Erika. I did promise that I'll be accompanying you today but then—"

"It's okay," the girl said, stopping Yuri from going to continue what he was about to say. And then she smiled. "It does gives me worries whenever Wolfram's involved. Besides, if I let you stay here, I'm sure your mind would be occupied with your worries for your _loved one_," she said, emphasizing the last two words that made Yuri slightly blush.

"Erika, you don't have to say it out loud," Yuri sheepishly whispered that made her laugh for a while.

"But it's true, right? So there's nothing for you to be shy about." Then she turned serious. "In any case, I think you should go."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Of course! You don't have to worry about anything. Just go…" she said while smiling.

And with that, he hugged her because of overwhelming joy in his heart. "Thank you for always supporting me, Erika."

She hugged him in return. "It's my duty, remember?" Then after a while, she let him go. "You should go. He's probably waiting for you."

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_At the hospital…_

Yuri arrived from the amusement park in just 20 minutes. Even though he's breathing hard when he reached the entrance, he continued to run towards the information booth.

"Miss, can you please tell me where's Wolfram von Bielefeld's room?" he asked despite breathing hard because he needed to catch his breath.

The nurse at the information booth typed something to her computer, probably searching at the computer's database. And after a few moments, she spoke.

"Sir, it's located on room 1625, just on the west wing," she politely said.

He bowed to thank the woman and then immediately proceeded to the said location. But as he was about to reach that place, he saw Conrad sitting on one of the waiting chairs, as if waiting for him.

That's the time he was finally noticed by the said man. And with that, Conrad stood up and waited for him to approach.

"Conrad!" he called out. And then he finally stopped running near Conrad. "Where's Wolfram? Is he alright?"

The brown-haired man shook his head and at that instant, Yuri felt his heart had stopped beating for some seconds as he absorbs what the man had answered.

"What do you mean he's not alright?" he asked.

"The doctor said that Wolfram's body had suffered so much because of the stress that had piled up inside of him from overworking himself for a long time. And that actually caused him to faint and lose his strength," Conrad explained nonchalantly.

It took him a while to absorb in his mind all of what Conrad had said.

"But what exactly is his sickness? I need to know…" he said.

Conrad just shook his head ad looked at him seriously but with a sad face. And when Conrad told what he needed to know and more, he felt his knees quivered and had somehow lost its strength to stand up that made him fell down in his knees.

_**That can't be… That can't be true! **_He could only scream in his mind as he tried to absorb all of what Conrad just told him.

The latter could only look at him with sympathy for it seemed that Yuri really cared for Wolfram for him to react like this… but that was when he haven't told the boy the truth about his brother.

But now…

_**I'm sorry for this, Yuri, Wolfram. But there's just something that I wanted to know from this. I know… and I can feel that Yuri loves you, Wolfram. I'm sure of it. But he has to overcome this test**_, Conrad thought as he continued looking at Yuri. _**If he really loves my brother… If his love for him is true… Then he should wholeheartedly be willing to accept Wolfram no matter who or what he is… And he must be strong enough to counter the cards dealt by their fates.**_

Yuri, at the moment, felt numb right now.

His mind kept on saying that everything he had heard from Conrad wasn't true. But then, it's no use.

Right now, even though he couldn't accept it, it's the reality.

He couldn't be with Wolfram in any way… He'll never be able to tell him the truth about his feeling for the one he loves…

And there's nothing he can do about it…

_**Will everything end here? **_Yuri's heart whispered. _**Can I really accept this?**_

_**I'm really sorry, Yuri… **_Conrad sadly thought.

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_Few hours later…_

The sun was beginning to set at the west. The sky's color was slowly turning from orange to red but still, it's a beautiful view.

Wolfram woke up after a while. He frowned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around for a while and he was slightly surprised to see himself inside a hospital room. That made him sat up from his bed. He tried to remember what happened before this.

And slowly, images came to his mind. At that instant, he remembered what happened to him.

_**That's right. I lost consciousness… just after I wrote the poem for Yuri… **_Wolfram thought as he remembered the sole reason why he wrote that poem to Yuri… to the man he loves more that anyone even though it's quite painful.

He sighed heavily at that thought.

_**I guess this is it, huh? I'll never be able to tell him the truth about my feelings for him… **_he said to himself sadly. And without knowing, his tears began to fall again. _**Why? Why does it have to end this way? Why couldn't my fate give me a chance to let me at least experience happiness even if it's for a while with the man I love?**_

And then he stared gloomily outside the window. He could see the sun as it sets; its red color just made his heart felt so heavy… filled with so much emotion he couldn't define for now.

But even still, he smiled… sadly.

Conrad was right. Writing something really does release some heavy burdens inside one's heart. And after he wrote that poem, he felt somewhat… light.

As he continued to muse for a while, that's when Conrad entered the room. He turned to look at the door when he heard it opened. "Conrad…"

The said man smiled at him, as he walked towards Wolfram's bed. "You seem… to be fine already, Wolfram."

Wolfram looked down and avoided Conrad's stare. And then he clenched his fist as he was still clutching a portion of his blanket. Then he whispered, "I'm sorry…"

Even though it's only a whisper, Conrad heard it clearly.

"What are you apologizing for?" he calmly asked. "Was it because you overworked yourself too much and you weren't even thinking of what others might feel because of that?"

The blond didn't say anything. He's still looking down.

"By the way, I told Yuri that you're here…" Conrad said that made Wolfram gazed at him with eyes wide open.

"He went here few hours ago, but then he also left just after he made sure that you're okay," Conrad continued. "He was really worried about you."

"Yuri… went here? Then you told him about my condition?" the blond asked.

He shook his head. "Not everything. Though I told him how worst it is."

And then Wolfram looked outside again… at the direction where he could see the sun as it slowly sets to the horizon.

_**Then I guess I have to tell Yuri the truth before everything will be over for me… before I leave him for good… **_he thought. _**But… could I really tell him everything?**_

"Wolfram… there's something I need to tell you," Conrad suddenly said soberly.

That disrupted the flow of his thoughts and made him looked at his older brother. "Tell me something? About what?"

But honestly, he doesn't like the seriousness in Conrad's voice.

"We have to go back… to our country…" the brown-haired man said.

Wolfram's eyes widened when he heard that. "Go back? But why? We're already okay living here. Why do we have to go back now, of all times?"

"I don't know the exact reason but Mother called earlier and she said that it's time for us to go back since the civil war is already over," Conrad explained.

"But Conrad—"

"Don't even try to, Wolfram," Gwendal immediately said as soon as he opened the door and entered that room.

"Big Brother…"

"It's already final. We'll be living 3 days from now," Gwendal said sternly.

And at that instant, the blond felt that his strength had been taken from him the moment he heard the finality in his brother's voice.

_**It's really meant to end this way… I'll never see Yuri again**_, Wolfram sadly thought. _**But it's not going to end without meaning!**_

"Conrad… may I have a paper and a pen? If that's going to be the case, then I guess I'll just leave some notes for my _friend_," he said as he emphasized the last word.

The said man complied. And when Conrad gave what the blond had asked, both he and Gwendal decided to leave him for a while.

As soon as the door was closed, Wolfram could feel his hand quivering as he tightened his grip on the pen, almost on the verge of breaking. And then, his tears began to fall as each drop landed on the clean white paper.

A sniffle… and then a sob…

The walls he had built in his heart started to crumble, realizing that everything is truly over. His shoulder began to shake and buried his face with his hands.

Now the pain that he's been bearing because of his unrequited love for Yuri had been doubled, all because of Yuri. At that moment, he thought that meeting Yuri was the most beautiful and at the same time, the worst of all that had happened to him in his entire life.

And through their ten years of friendship, he could really tell that loving Yuri had made his life the loveliest one to live… even though it's going to end sooner.

To cease the negative emotions about to creep and consume him once again, he decide to finally begin writing. But instead of writing a letter of goodbye for Yuri, he decided to write another poem. This way, he could express the determination in his heart that he's not going to end everything without meaning. Win or lose, he's not going to give up.

And after almost an hour of thinking and writing, he's finally done…

**NOW OR NEVER**

_**I**_

_I kept this feeling inside my heart since before_

_Before I figured out that I was falling for you even more_

_But luck seems to be not on my side since I found out_

_So now my heart began to feel losing because of doubt_

_**II**_

_It's funny but it hurts me to the core of my heart_

_Like it was a board used in the game of darts_

_It made me curse my feelings for you because it happen_

_Whenever I look at the scene of you and that girl again_

_**III**_

_I know you don't know what I really feel for you_

_If only I could lose this instantly on a count of two_

_But it's not as easy as I thought it would always be_

_So now I'm asking if he'd like to know the real me_

_**IV**_

_It's now or never, I'll take the risk if I should_

_But taking just a glance of you made me doubt if I could_

'_Coz my knees shiver so I couldn't stand straight_

_I only hope I wouldn't feel dizzy like the loops of eight_

_**V**_

_This love of mine for you made my life complicated_

_Making me wonder if it will soon be reciprocated_

_I don't want to keep this emotion inside my heart forever_

_So I'll tell you my feelings that'll happen now or never._

But now that he's done writing it, what will he do? Does he really have the guts to tell his feelings to Yuri, knowing that he might lose him in the end?

He has to know the truth… and also the answer to all of his questions. So that way, he'll know where would his place be in Yuri's heart… no matter what the cost…

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**Coming Next:**

**WOLFRAM: **_This will mark the day that my fate would change… But then, a painful resolve will obliterate the hope that I kept in my heart in an instant…_

**YURI: **_I found out something about Wolfram that'll test everything about what I really feel for him. Though I wanted to fight it, there's still something inside of me that prevents me from doing so…_

**WOLFRAM: **_Next time, For The Love Of Yuri Chapter 3: Flame of a Forbidden Love._

**YURI: **_I wanted to fight my feelings for you… but I guess I couldn't…_


	3. Flame Of A Forbidden Love

**532Disclaimer: **I don't own Kyo Kara Maou and its characters.

**Author's note: **Here's the third chapter for this story. And I'm going to say this now… I'm sorry if ever I disappointed you with the previous chapters but I'll try to do it better in the next. I have a major writing block problem after the Intramurals at our school since I am the Features Editor of our school newspaper so I'm extremely busy these past days. That's why I never paid much attention to the substance of the story itself. But I hope I won't disappoint you in the next chapters. Anyway, please enjoy and happy reading! ^_^ Please don't forget to leave your reviews. Flames, NOT ACCEPTED!

**Warning: **The characters are probably or undeniably not in their usual selves.

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**~~CHAPTER THREE~~**

_**Flame Of A Forbidden Love**_

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**Yuri's POV**

I walked slowly after I went out of the hospital building. But before I completely left that place, I looked at the building with a sad and hopeless expression etched on my face. The sun began to set that time… and along with its sad color that lit up the world for the last time of the day, I could feel that the hope inside my heart began to disappear with the setting sun.

What Conrad told me a while back made me lose hope that Wolfram would reciprocate my feelings for him. I couldn't even remember how I managed to get up after listening to those words that Conrad had spoken.

The words that Conrad had said to me made me doubt my love for Wolfram.

And as I continued to walk away from here, my mind played back that event happened earlier…

**

* * *

**

_**Flashback…**_

"_But what exactly is his sickness? I need to know…" That's what I said; desperate to know what's really going on with Wolfram._

_But then I just saw Conrad shook his head and then looked at me seriously, though it's quite clear that he's looking at me with a sad face. At that moment, I could feel my heart beats fast for some reason._

"_I couldn't tell you that… But this is what I'm going to say to you…" Conrad said gravely. And what he said after that made my heart suddenly shatter. "It's something terminal… and Wolfram… Wolfram had only a few months to live."_

_What? Are you serious? This has got to be a joke, right?_

_No! This is not how it is supposed to play out!_

_It can't be… it can't be true! How come? How come I never knew? Why didn't Wolfram tell me about it? It's not supposed to be like this!_

_Then that means… it's over?_

"_I'm sorry to tell you this now, Yuri…" Conrad apologized._

_I could feel my heart being smashed to pieces when I heard that._

"_Why didn't Wolfram tell me that?" I managed to say even though I felt that I have nothing left to say because of what I found out._

_He can't die! Wolfram can't die now!_

"_He has his reasons, Yuri. And he knew that you wouldn't understand those reasons; that's why he didn't tell you."_

_That spoiled brat! He's so unfair!_

_Why should I be the last person to find this out? Am I not that important to Wolfram that's why he's not telling me what going on with him? Am I really destined to love someone with no definite guarantee that my love will be reciprocated? I probably lost count on how many times I asked those questions to myself while collapsing to my knees and staring vacantly at nothing. I felt like I've lost all my senses after hearing the truth from Conrad._

_And then Conrad said something that made me return to reality that I haven't left the hospital yet and that he's still in front of me._

"_Yuri, I want to ask you something," he said. But before he continued, he helped me stood up and we sat on the bench just next to ours. "And I want you to answer this truthfully. Do you really know my brother?"_

_I frowned and looked at him with questions in my eyes. "What was that supposed to mean?"_

"_Do you really know where he came from or who he really is?"_

_I didn't say anything because… I don't have any answer to Conrad's question. And that forced me to smile slightly with genuine bitterness._

_Funny… I can't believe that I haven't thought about it for the last ten years of my friendship with Wolfram. The truth is…_

…_I don't know…_

_I haven't asked Wolfram about the country where he came from since I always thought that it wasn't necessary. As long as we understand each other, it really doesn't matter to me at all. But what I didn't understand was Conrad's other question about who Wolfram really is._

"_I don't understand… What are you talking about?" I said. And it's true. I don't really know what he was talking about._

_Conrad just sighed. "He didn't tell you, did he?"_

"_Why don't you get straight to the point, Conrad? Don't keep me thinking and waiting for something that I might not figure out myself," I snapped. It's already too late when I realized what I just said to him._

_But before I could apologize to what I said, he said something._

"_Wolfram is not born form this world, Yuri…" That's what he said. _

_What did he say? Wolfram's not from this world? What the heck does he mean by that? I really don't get it. But then, how come I couldn't voice that out? How come I couldn't ask Conrad about it?_

_Still, Conrad continued to speak like he wouldn't care if I am already crushed morally when he told me that Wolfram is dying… and now… this! Now he's saying that Wolfram is from another world. Though I know that there is another world besides Earth, I never had a chance to see that mysterious world myself. _

_And what else? Is he going to tell me that Wolfram is of a different race that will be the reason to forbid me from loving him? This is crazy! This is just too unreal!_

_But what I heard next from him had definitely killed my heart… seriously…_

"_He's a Mazoku… in reality…" he said soberly._

_I only looked at him with shocked and disbelieving eyes. Is he serious? Wolfram is… a Mazoku? A race that has been long forbidden to love the likes of me… This has to be a joke, right? It's not that I don't know about Mazoku. Of course I know about them! Since I was a child, I always knew that they exist for the sole reason that they play a huge but undefined role in my life. And in addition to that, I also knew that they're forbidden to love someone like me._

_How cruel can life get?_

_After that, I felt my heart slowly doubting if I should continue loving Wolfram with all of these revelations. I mean… I'll never be able to be with him and tell him my feelings… to tell him how much I love him… no matter how much I wanted to…_

_So this is how it's going to end, huh? This is how it's going to be…_

_**End of Flashback…**_

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* * *

**

I only sighed after remembering that. It's completely unreal. After what I had just discovered, I felt that everything in my world came to an end. The love that I felt for him—he love that I thought was a sublime feeling stronger than anything else in this world—was beginning to falter and lose its strength to hold on to it. There was no reason left for me to hold on to this feeling now that I know that we're not really meant to be together.

And that's the reality. The truth definitely hurts but I have to accept it.

It's our fate's decision that we'll never be together in the end, Wolfram…

I hate it! I really hate it! It's not fair at all!

I decided to head straight home since the sun began to set when I left the hospital… the place where everything crumbled down to pieces. I need to leave that place before I become totally broken that would surely drive me insane if I keep thinking about the conversation back there. Mom would surely become worried about that but I have to keep it to myself. I'll tell this to Erika when I get back home. I don't want them to be worried about me; that's why I hurried to go home. Right now, I need a place to rest for me to pick up the broken pieces of my heart.

Mom was waiting outside when I arrived. She was smiling when I saw her but I could tell that she was worried and she immediately welcomed me with a hug… a big hug. And I couldn't help but to smile at this. Even though my mom is weird sometimes (or maybe all the time), I could tell that she really cares for me and Shori, my older brother. And I know she feels the same way to Erika ever since she arrived and lived with us five years ago, though only a very few people knew that fact. My mom's hug somehow drove the pain I'm currently feeling in my heart.

"I became worried when Erika arrived here all alone. Where have you been? Erika wouldn't tell me since she said she doesn't know," my mom said.

So Erika didn't tell her that I went to visit Wolfram, huh? Well, that's okay since Mom doesn't know anything about my feelings for Wolfram. I might be telling that to her when I'm ready… But right now, I know that will never happen anymore.

I just forced myself to smile so that Mom wouldn't be too worried about it.

"It's not that important, Mom. I just needed to deal with something, that's why I have to leave Erika for a while." I couldn't tell her the truth. I know I'm being a bad son when I keep secrets to my mom but apparently, this is something that I have to deal with on my own. I know that Erika was always willing to help me when it comes to Wolfram and my feelings for him. But right now, there's no reason for Mm to know that.

Though it would appear that she wasn't really convinced, she just smiled at me. And we both entered the house. But before I closed the door, I looked at the sun… at the setting sun. And I couldn't help but remember the pain and disbelief that I felt in my heart because of what Conrad had revealed to me.

No matter where I put it, my love for Wolfram will always be forbidden even though I love him so much…

And I thought that if I continue loving Wolfram, it will be too painful for us to bear. I don't want to cause pain to him in any way. It's better that I should be the one who'll end up suffering and hurting rather than Wolfram.

There and then, with the red setting sun as my witness, I decided something to myself—to my heart—before I end up completely hurt and broken because of my love for him.

When I entered, I saw Erika at my mom's garden as she looked at the flowers there. I smiled at this sight. At that instant, I saw her turned and looked at me. She must have sensed my presence and then she smiled. But that smile quickly faded and then she frowned, followed by approaching me with a worried look on her face.

"Yuri, are you alright? Did something happen back at the hospital?" she asked. I was caught off-guard at her question. How come she could sense it? How come she could feel that something's wrong with me? Am I really that transparent to her?

She reached out her hand and I got surprised when she touched my face, her thumb was somehow wiping a stray tear that had escaped from my eyes. My eyes widened at that realization. I never thought that I cried.

"I guess something happened, huh?" Erika stated and then she sighed heavily before looking at me. "Care to tell me what made you break down like this without you knowing it?"

That did it. Those words that she said gently made the walls in my heart to crumble in an instant. And that made me fall down on my knees as more tears came out of my eyes.

"Yuri…" she whispered and it made her even more worried for me. I know that. But I couldn't stop my tears from falling since I'm already broken. She went to me and knelt beside me. With that, she even embraced me. For now, she knew that this is all she could do for me and I can feel it. But somehow, that gentle embrace helped me calm down somehow.

And at the same instant I cried, I saw Wolfram's smiling face in my mind. But that only made me cry even more.

**XxXxX**

_Lost in your eyes and then I fell in love with you_

_It was so sudden but it really is true_

_I thought I have found a love that'll last_

_But reality had stricken me so fast_

**XxXxX**

Wolfram… As I remembered that name, my heart beats faster than normal. Since the first time I met him, I knew that something will happen if he became my friend. And I was right. Something did happen… And it happened so fast!

I suddenly fell in love with him… A feeling that remained hidden for ten years now…

**XxXxX**

_Our love is forbidden yet the blaze is so warm_

_Like the way you attract me with your charm_

_But no matter how much we love and care for each other_

_There are things that wouldn't allow us to be together_

**XxXxX**

But after what Conrad told me back at the hospital, I realized that there's no reason for me to keep this love meant for Wolfram here in my heart anymore. I mean… What's the use of keeping it? He doesn't even love me. I couldn't see a hint that he really does.

**XxXxX**

_We might love each other but I couldn't continue_

_This love won't lead us to something new_

_It will be a love that'll never bear fruit_

_And it's the reality and the world's greatest truth_

**XxXxX**

I think when I asked God that maybe He could let Wolfram love me, I asked for something impossible, similar to when a person asked someone to revive a person who's already dead. I guess it only meant that Wolfram will never ever be mine no matter how I asked for it.

"Why don't we take a seat on the sofa so you could tell me what happened," Erika said after I finally calmed down. I obliged to that.

And after thinking about it, I decided to let Erika know what really happened at the hospital. She just listened intently as I told her everything that Conrad told me. Even though I had a hard time explaining things to her, she's just there listening to me. As if that's the only support she could give to me to lift the heaviness here in my heart because of what I decided as I faced the sunset a while ago.

**XxXxX**

_I love you so much but it isn't enough_

_The world had made us face a test so tough_

_This is the flame of a love that will always be forbidden_

_No matter what our hearts say for us to listen _

**XxXxX**

When I told her _that_ decision, she just looked at me with shocked and disbelieving eyes.

Unknown to me, that decision made someone's world crushed…

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**Wolfram's POV**

I left the hospital just after I wrote the poem and without my brothers knowing that I left. I had a hard time hiding and sneaking out of the hospital. I decided to see Yuri fro the last time before I finally leave this country… this world that I have come to love because of him.

The past ten years that Yuri became my friend wasn't really bad at all. As a matter of fact, it was the most wonderful years of my life. And I know that it will remain here in my heart for as long as I leave.

I managed to escape the building. And even though I still felt weak because of my sickness, I have to endure it. I have to see Yuri even if it would kill me in the process.

The sun can barely be seen on the horizon and it's beginning to get dark but it doesn't matter to me. I just kept on running on a familiar path—the path that leads to Yuri's house. And by the time I reached it, I was breathing hard, tired from running.

But as I stood outside the Shibuya household, I suddenly became reluctant if I should let Yuri know that I'm here through his mom or should I surprise him. After a few minutes of thinking about it, I chose to do the latter. I don't know why but that's what I decided.

I took a deep breath several times before opening the gate and entered there. I tried to walk as quiet as possible so that no one would know that I'm there. But still, Mama Miko saw me. I call her Mama since that's what she asked me to call her when I first met Yuri's family. And she's really another mother to me besides my own mom. I placed my finger on my lips just to make a sign to her not to make noise. And thankfully, she understood. She entered in the house and let me go to the backyard where the garden is located.

While I was walking towards the garden, I heard someone talking when I was near a window. And my heart beats fast again when I realized that it was Yuri's voice. But there was another voice that I heard, as if conversing with Yuri. And my heart began feeling a stinging pain as I realized that it was Erika. So I decided to go near the window and listen to their conversation as I hide in the bushes. Through there, I could clearly hear Yuri and Erika's conversation.

But I never realized that doing that would crush my heart to pieces.

"Are you sure about that, Yuri?" I heard Erika asked that to Yuri in a worried tone.

"Yes. After what _he _told me back there, I don't think I still have anymore reasons left for me to continue holding on to this. And I'm not even that strong enough to fight for it," Yuri said sadly but firmly that made me curious and eager to know what the heck he was talking about.

What are you trying to say, Yuri?

And why do I have a feeling that it's somehow related to something that I know? Tell me what's really going on, Yuri…

But as I kept on wishing for Yuri to clearly explain to Erika what does he mean by what he said, I could feel that my heart kept on pounding fast… faster than it was a while ago. Something is bound to happen at this moment. I know it! I just don't know what.

"But Yuri… You don't have to go that far when you obviously know that you will definitely suffer in exchange of that decision," Erika said. I couldn't look pass the window because I know that they would notice my presence there. It's a good thing that the window was open that's why I could hear every word they're saying.

"I've already decided, Erika. It's final," he said firmly. For some reasons, I felt nervous when I heard the serious and determined tone in Yuri's voice. "I'm going to end my friendship with Wolfram before everything becomes too late that I'm sure I'll regret if I don't do it."

_End my friendship with Wolfram… _That phrase keep on going in my mind. And with that, I paled when I heard that. It's not true, right?

Yuri, tell me it's not true… that you're just joking…

You can't simply end everything like that. I mean, it's ten long years of friendship that we nurtured with our trust and care for each other, for God's sake! You can't end it that easily. How could you? How could you destroy something as special as our friendship easily like that?

I wanted to move… I wanted to leave that place already because as I keep on listening to your voice, my heart just shatters a bit more… and it's even more painful than what I'm feeling whenever my sickness strikes me.

It's too painful to bear that I wish I wasn't even born… wishing that I should have never met you at all…

I don't know what has gotten into me after hearing that stupid decision of yours, but then I found myself running away form that place. Even though I hate crying, my tears just fall down endlessly. This is the third time that I cried this day and I guess my tears won't stop falling no matter how I try to stop it, especially when I couldn't help but to think of you.

And I know that I'll just keep on crying and crying until I couldn't cry for you anymore.

It's over… Done!

I don't have any reason for me to hold on to this feeling—to this love—that I have for you… the love that I kept from you for more than five years. Even though I know that I am a Mazoku—a race that has long been forbidden to love a human like you—I never cared about that at all when I fell in love with you. I know that my love for you will overcome anything, even this hindrance.

But I guess that my feelings for you aren't strong enough for me to do that. Even though I am willing to turn my back and forget all about where I came from and what I am just to be with you, I don't have any strength for me to do that now.

No more…

And as I kept on running, my mind kept on repeating the phrase that shattered my heart to pieces and killed every bit of hope here in my heart when I heard it.

_End my friendship with Wolfram… _That's what you said, Yuri.

As the rain began to pour down form the dim, starless night sky, I asked myself a question regarding your decision.

Do you really think that I could easily accept that stupid, cowardly decision of yours, Yuri? Do you really think that I could move on as easy as that?

I don't know what else to think anymore, Yuri.

Though my heart wanted to fight, you just made me decide not to.

What for? After all, you wanted to end your friendship with me, right?

So be it! I'll let you…

Even though that would make me one heck of a living doll, I don't care…

But I hope you realize what kind of pain you have inflicted here in my heart because of your decision, Yuri…

I hope you realize that… someday…

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**Coming Next…**

_**Wolfram: **__The pain of loving someone secretly had become even more intense than ever that could almost kill me…_

_**Yuri: **__Even if I've caused pain to someone unknowingly, I have to do something to let you know what I really feel for you… I hope I'm not too late…_

_**Wolfram: **__Next time, For The Love Of Yuri Chapter 4 – Is This Goodbye?_

_**Yuri: **__I'll let you know everything… even if it is for the last time…_


	4. Is This Goodbye?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kyo Kara Maou and its characters.

**Author's note: **Sorry for being completely late in updating. That's because I need to focus first of the Java Program that will be due before the exams so I haven't got any time updating the story. Anyway, happy reading and leave your reviews for me to know what to do. Flames, NOT ACCEPTED!

**Warning: **The characters are probably or undeniably not in their usual selves.

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**~~CHAPTER FOUR~~**

_**Is This Goodbye?**_

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"End your friendship with him? Have you gone insane?" Erika blurted out just after she heard Yuri's decision. After a while, she just sighed heavily and slightly shook her head in disbelief as she rubbed her temples. Seriously, what was this guy thinking? "So that's it? You're just simply going to end everything that both of you had able to earn for the last ten years?" she asked with slight sarcasm in her voice.

But Yuri didn't say anything. So he'd really decided. She knew Yuri when it comes to decision-making. He would let no one stop him once he decided something, especially as important as this. But then, she couldn't help but to feel sad about Yuri's abrupt and obviously insane decision. She knew for the start that Yuri will definitely suffer for this; not unless his feelings for Wolfram were not as real as it seem to be… not even strong enough to surpass this trial that Conrad might have given just to prove Yuri's strength to fight for his love… to prove Yuri's love for Wolfram.

She sighed again. As of now, that's all she could do…

_Yuri, I hope you wouldn't regret this… _she sadly thought.

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_The next day…_

**Wolfram's POV**

I woke up the next day like nothing had ever happened. I was still here at the hospital since I haven't got officially discharged because of what I did last night. And then, I suddenly remembered that—that painful memory that I don't want to remember for as long as I live.

I can't believe it all ended like that. The friendship that I really treasured for the last ten years… The friendship that I considered special since my best friend became the first and the only person I fell in love with. That feeling of love that I kept for more than five years here in my heart just for him… I never thought it would be left shattered like that—like a fragile glass.

It's a good thing that we'll be leaving today instead of two days from now since my mom insisted that. And I'm happy that I'll be able to return home after ten years of not being able to have a glance at it. But then I'll be leaving this world—this world that I've come to love—as I bear the unexplainable pain that Yuri had imposed to my heart because of what he decided.

Can this get any worse?

I closed my eyes tightly in anguish. As much as possible, I wouldn't want to remember any of what happened yesterday. As much as possible, I don't want to remember anything that reminds me of Yuri at all. That's because I don't want to remember anything painful that will lead me to crying again. I hate crying… I really hate it!

But the only reason that I've cried for this long was because of the thought that I was completely hurt. I never thought that loving someone secretly without the guarantee that the feeling would be returned will be this painful—in fact, too painful for a person to bear that could possibly lead to insanity.

But then, I asked myself a question.

Did I really regret loving Yuri for more than five years?

Probably before, when I didn't hear all about wimpy Yuri's stupid decision, then I know I could easily say that I really don't regret loving him. But now…

Now I don't know what to answer…

"Wolfram, it's time to go," someone said. When I turned around, I saw Conrad by the door. He was carrying my bag where my clothes were placed. I guess the doctor finally agreed to let me leave this place.

Ever since before, I hated hospitals. But because of always pressuring myself, I was always ending up here. I heaved a heavy sigh before I left that room. Before I let Conrad move out of the way, I said something.

"Conrad, will it be okay if we go back to the house… just for the last time?"

**

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**

Thankfully, Conrad complied with my request. But he doesn't really know why I'm here. And I don't want him to know my reason for that. This is something that I have to deal with by myself, since this concerns Yuri and me.

And since I'm leaving today without letting Yuri know that I'm leaving, I want to at least leave something here that I only hope he'll find… someday…

I never thought I'll be facing this kind of predicament—or to be more specific and in a milder term, a choice.

It's either I fight my feelings for Yuri despite his decision to end his friendship with me that caused too much pain in my heart…

…or to leave him without his knowledge since I guess it's no use fighting my feelings for him…

Thinking back, I could clearly remember all the good and bad events that we saw and experienced together that I really treasured more than my life since those were really special to me. It really felt like heaven whenever we're together during those times. But right now, I know that it'll just remain here in my memory since I decided to leave everything that reminds me of Yuri…

Everything…

Okay… maybe not everything…

Unfortunately, I couldn't just abandon my feelings for him… It's not that easy leaving that intense emotion that I have for him behind. And hate myself for it. But in any case, I have to try. I don't want to leave still bearing every piece of memory and emotion wherein Yuri was involved. I want to release everything here that concerns Yuri. But for now, the only way for me to do that was to leave something behind that holds every bit of emotion that I have for him.

Reaching out in my pocket, I draw out papers—three folded papers, to be exact.

These are the papers where I wrote those poems—poems that are all meant for Yuri since I poured out my feelings for him through it. I couldn't help but to smile bitterly at those thoughts.

I can' believe it… I can't believe I'll be leaving these behind… I was supposed to give these personally to him when the time comes that I have to reveal everything to Yuri. But because of what happened last night, I guess I don't even have an ounce of strength and courage left for me to do that. There's no use, anyway.

I'll be dying soon because of a sickness… a curse imposed to me when I was younger that made me live here on Earth for the last ten years. But I want to at least leave an unfading memory to my best friend before I completely leave this world for good, even if it means I have to leave a painful memory.

With all of those thoughts, I placed the folded papers on the study table left there. But then, as I slowly placed it on the table, I never realized that my tears began to fall… again. When will these eyes ever stop crying because of Yuri?

But will that ever happen? I guess not.

Leaving something as important as these were definitely not easy. But I have to do this in order for me not to be reminded of the pain that I have to suffer in the future, though I know that it'll be impossible if I couldn't forget my feelings for him and remove it here in my heart. As they say, there's no such thing as letting go… only moving on.

But then I ask myself a question regarding this.

Would I be able to move on as easy as that without the memories of Yuri _haunting_ me?

**End of Wolfram's POV**

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**Yuri's POV**

The sky that was once clear became dark because of the clouds rolling by. It weren't just any other clouds… These clouds signified that a heavy rainfall was about to come. And for me, it just made me even more depressed than I ever was last night.

I never thought that abruptly making a decision like that would make me feel even more miserable than ever. But the worst part was, I never realized that I inadvertently and unintentionally hurt Wolfram because of that. I only found that out when my mom asked me and Erika if Wolfram had come here. When I said no, Erika suddenly remembered that she heard a weird sound just after I blurted out that I'm going to end my friendship with Wolfram. She said that it must have been him since Mom told me that he wanted to surprise, but then I guess it was the other way around.

And I know that I must have hurt him because of it.

I was hurt by this decision, as well. But at that time, I thought that ending my friendship with Wolfram would make it easier and spare me, at the very least, from the harsh realities that we're facing because of our racial differences. And the thought that I couldn't even love him because he's dying ripped the whole in my heart wider than ever. It hurts to the core and I can't believe I'm still bearing this pain up until now. I can't believe I still managed to do so even though the guilt and regret were practically choking me since last night, as if it's more than enough to kill me and stop my heart from beating any further.

If only I could explain my side, then I guess it would be better. At the very least, I could let Wolfram somehow know something important and needed to be said…

…that I love him…

…I love him more than anyone else in this world.

But then, I know that it's over… I'll never be able to tell him that. I drove him away from me and there's nothing I can do about that now. Frustrated and hurt, I slammed my fist onto my bed and slumped onto the floor, leaning my head back onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. I just sighed exasperatedly now that there's nothing going on inside my mind.

"This is my fault…" I whispered in agony as I ran a hand through my hair. And as I put my face in my hands, I had never felt so helpless… so heartbroken and depressed. I wanted to talk to him to make sure that he was okay, but I couldn't find a least an ounce of courage to do so, as if my strength and courage had been drawn away from me.

But I wanted so bad to tell him that I love him. I had not only loved him more than I had ever loved anyone else, but I needed him more than I ever needed anyone else. I couldn't imagine a world without him and never dared to think about it. And if Wolfram only felt a fraction of what I feel for him was more than enough to keep me happy… as long as I know that he's with me.

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_I found you there quiet and all alone_

_And all you wanted was to be on your own_

_It's when they said that you're leaving me here_

_For the day had come that you always fear_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

I love Wolfram, I really do. But if ever he'll hate me because of my decision, it's okay with me. In fact, I'll even let him do what he wanted. I want him to be happy… and if hating me is what will make him happy, so be it even if it hurts so much. But still, I love him too much to let him go that easily.

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_Your body is being devoured and slowly killing you_

_But there's nothing I could do for me to help you through_

_And all I did there was to cry and feel such regret_

_For I couldn't fulfill a love that I'll never forget_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

Should I fight for him and prove that my feelings for him are true and will never fade as easy as that? Should I convince him to stay with me? Or let him leave me and allow him to be happy, no matter who or what he wants?

Sighing, I decided that I should do the right thing for myself.

This is the last chance that I have for me to do what's right.

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_You're leaving me here all alone, that's for sure_

_And my tormented heart won't be able to find a cure_

_For I'll cry in my room with my cold, bended knees_

_As I try to surpass the pain of love's unfulfilled promise_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

With that in mind, I dragged myself to my feet and walked to the study table just on the opposite side of that room. And then I took a folded paper placed on the table. That folded paper contained something that I should have said to him personally before. But because I'm such a wimp, I couldn't. And now, all I could do was to feel such regret.

But then I quickly dressed and grabbed the paper on the study table. I hurried going down the stairs while placing the paper in my pocket. When I got out, I looked at the sky. It seemed like a storm was about to roll in by I could care less.

Right now, all that mattered to me was to get to Wolfram's house and ask for forgiveness.

And more importantly… to finally tell the truth about my feelings for Wolfram…

…even if it's for the last time…

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_I can't promise to you not to feel this agony_

_For I won't be complete without you here with me_

_So I'll ask a favor before you leave me here so blue_

_Just let me love you for the last time I'll be with you_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

But unbeknownst to me, this would change everything…

**End of Yuri's POV**

**

* * *

**

The clouds continued to loom over the sky, draping the world in a smoggy darkness. And after a few minutes more, the rain began to fall from the dark sky. But Yuri doesn't even care if he'll get wet because he's running in the middle of the rain. All he cared as of the moment was to get to Wolfram's house in order to talk to his blond best friend—to the one he loves—just to clear things and ask for forgiveness.

After all what happened for the past ten years that Wolfram became a part of his life, he realized how much he had loved Wolfram more than anyone else without knowing everything about him. But then, isn't that proof enough that he accepted him through everything—even obstacles and differences—that made him fall in love with his best friend?

As he kept on running in the middle of the rain, he couldn't help but to glance at his pocket where he placed the folded paper that holds the key to revealing his feelings.

But unknown to him, a mysterious man clad in red and black was watching Yuri from behind the tall bushes as he waited for an opportunity to do his plan.

As Yuri took a turn to the bridge, he abruptly stopped running when he felt a sharp pain, like a blade had plunged through his chest from behind. And even though it's vague, he could hear blood dripping… fast! Yuri was shaking slightly but he tried his best to look down and take a look. His eyes widened when he saw a katana that plunged his chest.

The blade came out of his chest, dripping with blood. The red essence slowly spread over the top of his clothes, as Yuri began t collapsed to his knees before dropping completely to the ground… eyes opened wide because of shock.

The rain continued to fall harder from the sky. And the man who had stabbed Yuri was still firmly holding the katana that he used to stab the young man, blood on the blade began to be washed down by the rainwater as it continued to drip.

"Finally… I found you! Your mother had given me the hardest time of my life when she sealed me eighteen years ago because of my plan to eradicate you. I'll let her suffer the same way I did long ago… and for sure, she will… now that you're going to die…" the man said.

Though Yuri clearly heard it, he couldn't respond to that. At the moment, all he could think of was his mother, Erika… and Wolfram…

The day he had feared for a long time had finally come…

The day where everything about him would come to an end…

The man started approaching his slowly dying body and carried him rashly, dragging him using his clothes. And then he lifted his body and threw him from the bridge, and still, Yuri couldn't react nor respond to that. His body was dropped on the grassland beneath the bridge and his body helplessly continued to roll down until he reached the edge of the grassland, almost near the violently flowing river. His perpetrator started walking away with an evil smirk carved on his face when Yuri slowly tried to reach out to his pocket to get something, not minding about the pain his wound was inflicting him. And then from it, he drew out the folded papers and put it in front of him. He looked at it as he forced himself to smile despite the pain he's feeling.

"T… Thank g-goodness… i-it's… safe…" And then a tear escaped from his eyes as he placed the papers to his bloody chest—near his heart, to be exact—before mouthing the last words that had escaped his lips.

"W… Wolfram…" he whispered.

And with that, while the rain continued to fall as it made everything wet, he slowly closed his eyes… with a smile—a true, hopeful smile—carved on his face…

**

* * *

**

"YURI!" Erika immediately approached Yuri's body, not minding the rain that made her wet.

She immediately checked his pulse. But before she could make a conclusion, she saw the almost bloody paper placed on Yuri's chest. Yuri's hands were cold but she took the folded paper and then opened it.

But what she read in it had definitely made her feel extremely sad for the two…

…for Yuri, who had loved his best friend for so long but unable to fight for it because of the law of destiny for the two different races…

…and for Wolfram, who had also kept his feelings for the only man who became his best friend but unable to tell the truth because of intense fear for rejection…

_Wolfram,_

_I'm sorry… I have never intended to hurt you this much when you probably heard our conversation last night. I just found out that you came for me when Mom asked me and Erika if I saw you came to my house. You know what? I could kill myself for giving you this much pain because of my decision—because of my coward, stupid, insane and heartless decision. You were right about calling me a wimp since before and I can admit that now. But I guess I'm already too late. I've made you suffered already. I'm sorry if my decision hurt you or broke you or angered you._

_But before you completely hate me because of it, I wanted to tell you something. It depends on you if you will accept it or not. I know that you will call it insane or whatever. But to tell you the truth… I fell in love with you since the say we met, the day I rescued you from those bullies who tried to hurt you because you're new in the neighborhood. And that feeling lasted for as long as ten years—the span of time that you've only treated me as a friend—but I only showed that to you by teasing you and stuff. And I guess I could say that you really hated me because of that. I could never blame you. After all, I am a wimp, right?_

_I want to tell you something and I hope you would at least care to know. Loving you had become the greatest thing that I've ever done in my life. And I'm willing to love you longer than my lifetime since I know that I'll never feel such a passionate feeling again. After all, you're the only person that I fell in love with for the first time and surely, for the last time. You're the person that I know I'll never meet by chance twice. Even if we belong to a different race… Even if someone like me is forbidden to love a Mazoku like you… I just couldn't bring myself to abandon you and my feelings for you. I know that it's impossible for you and me to be together because of such realities of the world, but I don't care. It doesn't matter what race you are… and that's how I love people. Unfortunately, I just realized that now. And I considered myself a jerk because of it. Saying sorry to you will probably make you raring to shout at me. But I'll never stop you. It's okay with me. In fact, I'll be glad if you did._

_I know there's a chance that we'll never be together again because of my decision to end our friendship. I know that we'll never sit on the roof and gaze at the shimmering stars of the heavens; never whisper words of care and love to each other. But it's the only way I know that I'll never feel the pain because of the truth about us. It was the only way. But if you just give me one chance, I'll prove myself to you. I'll prove my love for you… A love that was meant for you… And even if it means I have to give up my life trying to prove my love for you, I'll do it wholeheartedly. But your impending death was the only one that prevents me from doing so. Why didn't you tell me that you're dying, Wolfram? Why? If you could have let me know that… if I knew that you're going to die, I would have done anything for you. Anything… I'd make your last moment here on earth to last forever. I will love you fully and wholeheartedly despite our differences that prevent me from continuing to love you so. I'd beat up every single person in the world who has ever hurt you and will continue hurting you… and I know that it includes me as well but I wouldn't care. As long as I could protect you with my life, with everything in my possession, with what I have and can still give to you. I'm willing to do all that for you, because it'll be one sure hell if you're not here with me. I sure as hell can't live without you._

_You probably won't like it when I tell you this. But I want you to believe in every word written here and most of all, I want you to believe me. I have to tell you my feelings now before I completely regret probably my whole life when I didn't tell you that and when you're not here with me anymore. It'll be a hell for me when that happens, but I'm painstakingly willing to embrace that kind of life if ever you're not the one I'm meant to be with. No matter what happens now, I'm willing to live with it even if it hurts me so much. No matter where our lives take us, even if you wouldn't love me and you would force yourself to forget me, I'll always be in love with you. And that will never change. But I hope that's alright with you…_

_I love you so much… Wolfram…_

_And I still hope that you can forgive me…_

_-Yuri-_

Erika folded the bloody paper as she sighed and unknowingly cried after reading that letter.

"Why does it have to end like this? You two loved each other but both of you have to suffer because of it…" she whispered.

As she was about to check on Yuri's pulse again who obviously had gone colder than he was a while ago, she couldn't help but to turn around. And her eyes widened when she saw a katana pointing at her by the man who stabbed Yuri.

"It can't be… Ryuuji?" she muttered in extreme shock.

The man named Ryuuji smirked evilly.

"It's a good thing you know me… Erika Shibuya…"

**

* * *

**

_Yuri!_

Wolfram turned around when he suddenly felt something foreboding. But when he looked around, he could only see trees. Though he was undoubtedly extremely worried and at the same time, scared for some reason that maybe… maybe… something bad had happened to Yuri. He heard something a while back… a voice… a sweet, gentle and familiar voice traveled by the wind uttering hid name gently…

He and his brothers were about to enter a portal materialized by a spell recited by Gwendal earlier when he felt something weird that made him change his focus. Something bad must have happened… but what?

"Wolfram, are you alright?" Conrad worriedly asked.

But it would appear that he didn't hear it. He was too focused on that sudden weird feeling that he felt. But then he shrugged it off forcefully out of his mind. He has nothing to do with Yuri anymore. That wimp… That wimpy Yuri that he loved more than anyone else was the one who drove him out of his life.

He just lost him, right? That's why it's over.

Besides, he was still hurt because of Yuri's decision. As much as possible, he wanted to forget everything—and everyone—that reminds him of Yuri and his feelings for him.

And with that thought, he proceeded to enter the portal… leaving everything behind…

**

* * *

**

Conrad, on the other hand, felt immensely guilty because of the outcome of the events between Yuri and Wolfram. He never expected that it would come to this. Though it's not his intention to hurt anyone with this, he guessed he already did.

And there's nothing he could do to undo everything that he did which resulted to Wolfram leaving Yuri unannounced.

But he only did the right thing when he told Yuri the truth about Wolfram.

But did he really do what's right for the two of them?

_I guess saying sorry to Yuri will not do anything to help them now… It's my fault… _Conrad sadly thought as he sighed and entered the portal.

**

* * *

**

_**Yuri: **__I lost Wolfram that day without even saying what I feel for him just for the last time… and now, I'm about to lose my own life because of the desire to protect someone…_

_**Wolfram: **__I felt something bad had happened to Yuri, but then I chose not to pay attention to it. Only to discover something eventually in the end that I made the wrong choice… _

_**Erika: **__The truth is about to be revealed as the light from the past shines… and with the desire to revive someone important to me, it's about time that I tell that truth to him…_

_**Yuri: **__Next Time, For The Love Of Yuri Chapter 5 – For The Sake Of Love_

_**Wolfram: **__I guess I really couldn't forget you… all this time, I really couldn't…_

**

* * *

**

**I know that the letter is really on the sappy side and too much OOC on Yuri's part but he really needs to pour out his feelings especially since it will be his last time with Wolfram. Anyway, just give me your reviews on this chapter and if you have questions regarding the story itself, just include it in your reviews, okay? I'll try my best to answer them… ^_^**

**There are two more chapters to go before the end of this story; so stick with me, okay? And thank you for supporting this story…**


	5. For The Sake Of Love

**CHAPTER FIVE**: _**For The Sake Of Love**_

"It can't be… Ryuuji?" Erika muttered in extreme shock.

Ryuuji smirked.

"It's a good thing you know me… Erika Shibuya."

She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She couldn't believe it!

The man that became the reason why she had to be separated from Yuri and the others a long time ago… why she had to do an unbelievable task in order to protect Yuri.

But before she could react even further, she saw Ryuuji was about to strike her down using a katana. It looked like he really wanted to kill her and Yuri, but this is something she couldn't allow to happen. She has yet to do something in order for Yuri and Wolfram to find the happiness they both deserve from each other. It's enough that both had to suffer because of a decision to end something as special as Yuri and Wolfram's friendship. She wouldn't allow someone to die because of it.

And just as the sword almost reached her, she jumped away in order to avoid it and landed just a few meters back. It's a good thing she learned some evading skills and techniques when she was younger. After all, she needed that in order to fulfill her duties.

"You're good," Ryuuji commented. "I give you my compliments. But you won't last long!" And then he lunged himself towards Erika, only to be deflected by a sword. He was surprised when he saw her holding a sword. How did she able to materialize that so easily? "How… come…?"

Erika tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. "It seems to me that you still haven't given up your grudge against _her_, have you?"

"There's no way that I'll easily forget that! Because of _her_, my life became a trash!" And then he stared at her with full hatred in his eyes. "And I'm going to make her life a trash, as well. I'm going to do that by destroying her precious treasure—HER SON!" With that, he charged at her again.

But before he could even try to strike her down, Ryuuji was struck badly with a powerful energy blast from behind. Though Erika was caught surprised because of it, she tried to look around to see the one who cast that energy blast.

"Onii-chan!" she exclaimed when she saw Shori not far from their position.

Shori started running towards her. "Eri-chan, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Yuri is…" And then she looked at the unconscious Yuri being soaked in both blood and rainwater. Shori immediately approached Yuri and carried him carefully not to cause too much blood loss. Then he looked at Erika. "I'll be fine, Onii-chan. Just take Yuri to the hospital as soon as possible before it's too late."

"Eri-chan…"

"Hurry…" she said calmly while smiling, as if assuring him that it'll be alright, before seriously facing Ryuuji with hate and determination vividly expressed in her eyes. "It's about time I finish everything that _she _had started eighteen years ago. I promise, I'll be alright…"

And with that, Shori did what Erika wanted.

As for Erika, she began to prepare herself in order to finish the battle that began eighteen years ago…

...the time when she and Yuri were forced to be separated because of the act of this man that made her and Yuri unable to communicate with each other. And if it means she has to end the life of this man in order to accomplish that, she'll do it willingly. This man had caused her and her family more than enough suffering and she wouldn't allow that to happen once again.

Beneath the dark sky, in the midst of the falling rain, a battle will begin…

**

* * *

**

_One month later…_

It's been a month since that fateful morning and right now, things were working out quite alright for everyone in the Shibuya family.

Well… almost…

They're still worried about Yuri since he's been in the state of coma for the whole month ever since that incident that really became depressing especially for Miko and Erika.

Erika still remembered when she arrived at the hospital after that bloody battle where she emerged victorious somehow despite the wounds that she had acquired during the battle…

**Flashback…**

_Erika arrived at the hospital panting heavily, tired from running just to get there as fast as she could. Although her clothes were covered in blood and she was completely soaked in rainwater, she didn't mind. Her priority as of the moment was to know Yuri's current condition, not minding about her own wounds that were actually quite deep._

_She found Shori outside the ER who was walking back and forth, probably because of extreme worries for his little brother. He saw her approaching him and looked at her with wide eyes._

"_Onii-chan!" Erika called out._

"_Eri-chan!" And then she stopped running towards him when she reached him. "What exactly happened? Why are you covered in blood?"_

_She couldn't help but to somehow smile at this. "It's not much. It's from the wounds I acquired during the battle a while ago. How's Yuri? Is he okay?" she asked worriedly._

"_An intense operation is going on in there. And it's already been an hour and a half since they've rushed him into the ER," Shori said sadly._

"_He had taken a hard blow, hadn't he?"_

_He only looked down and decided to sit. And then a nurse asked her kindly to treat her wounds. She looked at Shori with hesitation whether she would acknowledge the help or not._

"_I'll tell you as soon as you're done if Yuri came out of the ER. For now, you need to treat your wounds. It's enough that Yuri got hurt badly. Don't put yourself next," he said._

_And with that, she agreed to take the help._

_Half an hour more had passed further before the doctor came out from the ER. By that time, Yuri's parents Miko and Shouma arrived. Murata arrived as well, but decided to check out first on his girlfriend Erika who had just finished being treated by the concerned nurse._

_They all stood anxiously outside the door and focused their attention on the surgeon as he came out._

"_How is he? How's my son?" Miko asked quickly._

"_Well, he's… stable. For now…"_

_But they couldn't actually feel relieved with just that. Erika frowned at the said statement of the doctor and approached him._

"_Wait, what exactly do you mean 'for now'?" she asked, worry hitting her quickly as she looked intently at the doctor._

"_Well… that's…" The doctor looked down."_

_And then Shouma spoke. "Please, tell us the truth. What's going to happen with my son now?"_

_It took a while before the doctor managed to speak. He sighed heavily before continuing to speak. "We were able to repair his lungs and most nerves in the spine. However, when he was coming here, he did suffer a large amount of blood loss… and…"_

"_And?"_

"_He also suffered from oxygen deprivation that caused his brain to shut down passively… So right now, he's in a coma, to be exact."_

_Erika was basically surprised that made her unable to comprehend all that has been said by the doctor. She slightly shook her head in disbelief. And then unknowingly, as she remembered the man that caused this to Yuri, she tightened her fist out of anger and hatred._

"_This is all his fault…" she murmured._

_Murata held her tightened fist in order to calm her down. When she felt that, she looked at him and she saw him smiling a smile full of hope._

"_Ken-chan…"_

_And then after that, Murata faced the doctor. "When will Shibuya wake up, doctor?"_

"_I'm not sure if he will. His brain might not be able to recover from that much oxygen loss. And if he does wake up… well… there's a 90% possibility that he'll never be able to walk again."_

_And that did it. Miko sobbed harder when she heard that and Shouma tried his best to calm her down. Shori could only stare at the doctor with wide eyes. And Erika suddenly felt her strength was being drawn away from her when she collapsed to her knees._

_This couldn't be happening… How could something like this happen?_

_**Yuri, you can't die now. Please don't die… Now that your feelings for Wolfram had been reciprocated, it's not yet the time for you to give up and lose everything… You're a fighter, right? I know that you can pull through this. I promise, everything would be alright once you wake up… So please don't die… Yuri… **__Erika thought as she tried to pull herself together._

_Yuri can't die… and that's what she's going to believe till the end of this battle…_

**End of Flashback…**

Erika sighed as she remembered that. Right now, she's in the hospital room where Yuri was confined. To be specific, he was placed in the intensive care unit. But it's been a month since she decided that. And now, as each day came passing by, she could feel her strength being drifted away from her.

And as she could feel that again, she decided to go outside for a little while and take a walk while breathing some fresh air. Right as of that moment, she felt that it's all she needed.

She was about to get out of that room when she heard a faint sound. But at that single instant that she heard it, she was certain where that sound came from. But she decided to turn around just to be sure. She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or something else, but definitely she heard Yuri spoke something. And when she approached him, Yuri subconciously murmured something.

Her eyes widened at that.

That's right. She had forgotten about _that_. So she decided to stay a little longer just to be sure. But nothing came up again for the past half hour. Though during that span of time, she was thinking about what Yuri had spoken of. And after that, she finally decided one thing. She smiled and then held Yuri's hand.

_**Don't worry… I won't break my promise. Everything will be alright once you wake up…**_

Determined, she stood up from the chair and went out.

Unknown to her, Yuri had subconciously spoken something. And this time, it's clearer.

"Wol… fram…"

**

* * *

**

_Shin Makoku…_

It's been a month had passed. Since the passage of time between Earth and Shin Makoku were almost the same, I was quite sure that it's also the same time had passed there—to where Yuri is right now.

But for the past month, that foreboding feeling that I felt just when I entered the portal hadn't left me ever since. I knew that it would be pointless for me to think about it now since I decided to leave Yuri, anyway. But why exactly does that feeling wouldn't leave me? Did something really bad happened to Yuri during that time?

Weird enough, just as soon as we arrived at the Blood Pledge Castle, I don't feel any weaker than when I was on Earth. My mother, Cecilie von Spitzberg, found it quite unusual that I was healed as soon as I returned home. And all the guesses had been cleared when I asked Gisela, the royal healer, about the unusual phenomenon. The curse inflicted upon me has been lifted, she said. It came to me as a shock. Not just to me but to my family, as well.

So here's the question that came to me after hearing that. Did someone manage to defeat the man who put that curse on me?

But no one could give me an answer to that. Even my mother, who was appointed as the present ruler of Shin Makoku, couldn't provide an answer to that, as well. Though she knew the man, she had not heard anything about him ever since I was transferred to live on Earth.

I sighed heavily after thinking about that. For now, I should be happy that I am cured and I could finally do many things that healthy people usually do. But I don't have any energy to do anything as of the moment, for some reasons. I don't know why but somehow, I could feel that something will happen today that made me stay in my bedroom.

That's the time when a guard knocked and entered and he said that Mother was requesting for my presence. I just said that I'll follow and thankfully, the guard complied.

I sighed before deciding to come out of my room and proceed to the meeting room, just as my mother had requested.

**

* * *

**

When Wolfram arrived at the meeting room accompanied by a palace guard, he saw Conrad, Gwendal, Gunter and his mother seating on their designated seats. But then he was completely and utterly shocked when he saw someone unexpected waiting for him, as it seems. That person looked at him and smiled. So he guessed that it wasn't just a mere illusion created by his mind.

Erika was really there. And he guessed she was also accompanied by her advisor since he could see that someone unfamiliar was sitting beside her—a man probably about the same age as her who was wearing glasses.

"Erika?" he whispered while staring at her with wide eyes because of disbelief.

"I'm sorry for suddenly coming here. But you see, there's something that I have to do for Yuri's sake that's why I came," she said apologetically.

Conrad frowned at that. "For Yuri's sake? What do you mean, Erika?"

But before she could say something, Wolfram spoke rather frankly.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Yuri right now?"

Lady Cheri was quite surprised at her son's retort to Erika's words. "Wolfram!"

"For now, I should say that Yuri needs you even more than he needs me. Besides, he really wanted to tell you everything the day you left and to apologize for hurting you inadventently because of his rather absurd decision. If only he had not met an unfortunate incident…" Erika said sadly.

"Unfortunate incident?" Gwendal curiously asked.

"What do you mean? Did something happen to Yuri?" Wolfram asked immediately.

Erika sighed. "I assumed that you already know that."

And this made Wolfram infuriated, at the very least. This woman was somehow avoiding his questions. He couldn't help but to think after knowing that something bad really did happen to Yuri. "Would you just get straight to the point?" he blurted out. But he got no answer from her or her advisor. He sighed heavily after that and Lady Cheri just looked at him and Erika. "Why am I even asking this to you? You wouldn't even care…"

And since Lady Cheri couldn't just let his youngest son act so improper in front of their guests, she spoke. "Wolfram, can you at least be kind to our guests?"

"But Mother… you don't understand…" the blond said.

Erika sighed and smiled despite Wolfram's protest. "It's alright, Cheri-sama. I think I know the reason why—somehow—he holds a grudge against me."

"Erika…"

"I guess Yuri didn't tell you the truth about me, did he? About him and me… and my real connection to the Shibuya family…" she said sadly.

But Wolfram didn't say anything regarding that, though he did realize that he didn't know anything about Erika at all. All he knew was that she was really close to Yuri's family and particularly, to Yuri himself. But was there something more to it?

Murata talked that somehow broke the silence looming around the room. But he faced Erika with a worried and reluctant look on his face. "Erika, are you sure you're going to tell them _everything_?"

She nodded. "I know you're worried, Ken-chan. But this has also something to do with Wolfram. Besides, he has to know the truth." And with that, she faced Wolfram who was looking at her, as well. "Since the peace treaty had been signed and the allegiance between Castalia and Shin Makoku had been formed a month ago, I guess it's time for me to reveal the truth." Erika sighed heavily before continuing to speak, as if gathering up her courage. "To tell you the truth… Yuri is the supposed inheritor of the Castalian throne but because of some circumstances, I have to pose as a decoy of Yuri in order for me to protect him."

"Supposed inheritor?" Gunter curiously asked.

"Then that means…"

"That's right. Yuri is related to me. To be more specific, he's my long lost twin brother."

All eyes widened as they heard that revelation from Erika.

"What?"

"The reason why Yuri couldn't tell you the truth was because he doesn't want to put you in danger we're facing. But I never thought that the person who were after him was the same sorcerer who gave you that curse—the reason why you have to live on Earth for ten years."

Wolfram was undoubtedly surprised to hear that. How the heck did she know that part of his life? Did his mother tell her about it? With that, she immediately faced Lady Cheri. "Mother, you told them about it?"

But instead of Lady Cheri, it was Murata who answered that. "No, she did not. We investigated this ourselves since Ryuuji had been on our list of Most Wanted Criminals, that's why we did a thorough investigation on him. And that's how we found out what he did to you, Lord von Bielefeld."

"Erika, can you explain to us why you and Yuri got separated?" Gwendal nonchalantly asked the young lady.

Erika closed her eyes for some seconds and then opened them again. She exhaled before facing the others and spoke. "Eighteen years ago, when Mama gave birth to me and Yuri, a sorcerer named Ryuuji came to our kingdom and attacked it. He's decided to eradicate all white mages living in our kingdom and most of all, he's decided to annihilate my twin brother Yuri because of the powers that he alone possesses—powers that could easily destroy him and all of the black mages planning a war against us white mages. It's something that Mama wouldn't allow to happen, so she has to use her powers to seal that sorcerer. And even though it's painful, she decided that Yuri and I should be separated in order for him not to be detected by the black mages who desired to control my brother. Unknown to them, when Yuri and I are together, that's when we can use powers beyond the combined powers of all of the great white mages in our kingdom—that's when we're known as the Great Double Mage. But when we're separated, our powers were sealed inside of us and somehow cut in half, making it undetectable. When Ryuuji was sealed by my mother, that's when all of the black mages attacked us suddenly with the intention to take control of our kingdom."

"That was a part of our history known as the Great Mages' War," Murata said.

"Yuri lived on Earth along with Mama, Papa and Onii-chan. As for me, I lived at our kingdom under the care of my maternal aunt. I was raised as a male, masquerading as my brother in order for me to protect him. It's the least I could do since Ryuuji doesn't know Yuri has me as a twin sister. But then I guess the trick didn't work," Erika continued.

"Now it makes sense…" Lady Cheri said after she heard that. "For the past eighteen years, no one knows the true identity of Castalia's ruler. Not even I knew that. They said to me that it was a male but just shy enough to reveal himself. Only the advisors were the ones making a presence when it comes to meetings."

"However, because Yuri remained on Earth for the past eighteen years, his powers gradually diminished. And if he stayed there until the age of twenty-five, his powers will be forever lost, eradicating the seal of our powers in the process. That may have been the reason why Ryuuji found him. And the true mage mentioned in an ancient prophecy of our kingdom was revealed, as well," Murata said.

"But why are you telling me this now? It's no use since Yuri decided to end his friendship with me a month ago…" Wolfram said with a sad look. Up until now, he couldn't forget the pain that Yuri's words had inflicted in his heart. Though he really wanted to forget that, for some reasons, he couldn't. He really couldn't.

"I had to tell you the truth just to clear things out. I could tell that by not tellng you the truth, things got worse and you hated Yuri for it," she said. "Anyway, will it be okay if I ask you something?"

Wolfram frowned. "About what?"

"The day you left, have you felt something foreboding?"

"How did you…?" And his eyes widened at a sudden realization that hit him. "What is about Yuri? Did something bad happened to him?"

She looked down sadly that made him definitely worried for Yuri. "Unfortunately, yes. The day you left, he decided to settle things with you and ask for forgiveness because of his decision but then he was attacked by Ryuuji. And because I was near my brother, I used up my powers to destroy him completely to make him pay for his crimes to my family and my kingdom." And then she faced Wolfram. "Your sickness had not stricken you since then, am I right?"

Wolfram nodded. "Is Yuri okay?"

"He's not, unfortunately," Murata replied. "He took a blade to his chest which pierced his lung and came very close to his heart. And then he was thrown from the bridge to the grassland beneath it, breaking a bone or two. His spine was quite damaged and that means, even if he wakes up, there's no guarantee that he'll walk again."

"What do you mean 'if he wakes up?'" Wolfram couldn't help asking.

"Are you telling us that for the past month, he hasn't woken up?" Conrad asked.

"He had taken quite a lot of damage because of the attack," Erika explained. "The doctors were able to repair his lung and most nerves in the spine. However, because of the late arrival of the ambulance, he did suffer a large amount of blood loss… and…"

"Yuri's still alive, right?" the blond asked in an extremely worried tone.

"He's… basically unconcious… sort of sleeping…" Murata answered in a soft tone, looking down sad.

And that made Wolfram baffled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The blood he lost had clogged his lung temporarily, they had to drain it—and he suffered from oxygen deprivation during that time. And because of the inability to get the oxygen it needed, his brain shut down passively. In other words, he's in coma… during the whole month," Murata continued.

That actually made Wolfram felt sad. "You mean… just to get me, he suffered that much?" he muttered but still loud enough for Erika to hear it.

The said young woman sighed. "It was a surprise attack, so you don't have to worry and blame yourself for it. In fact, I should be blaming myself for what happened," Erika sadly stated. "If I hadn't decided to see Yuri and my family, he probably wouldn't be taking this kind of damage… I should be the one in his current condition…"

Wolfram couldn't help but to feel sorry for both Yuri and Erika… including the sufferings that the Shibuya family had to go through in order to protect the kingdom of Castalia and each other. He had no idea that Yuri had to go through so much just protect… and him, as well. And there he was, thinking that Erika was Yuri's girlfriend or something, without knowing her thoroughly and that she was taking Yuri away from him…

"I'm sorry…" Wolfram said after a short while of silence. "I never realized what Yuri had done for you… And I thought all these times that I see the two of you together, you were taking him away from me in order for you to ruin our friendship… He was just protecting you… and me, as well."

She smiled after that. "I'm sorry, too, if we have to keep it from you. But I'm glad that you understand me now." And then her face turned serious. "Wolfram, I'm going to ask you a question. And I hope you answer me truthfully."

The blond was puzzled at that. But before he could utter something, Erika spoke.

"Have you… really loved Yuri, Wolfram?"

The blond's eyes widened at that question and blushed at the same time.

"What are you trying to say, Erika?"

But the said lady just smiled. And then Wolfram became serious.

"Will something change if I tell you the truth?"

"That depends on your answer…" Erika replied.

It took a while before Wolfram spoke again, while the others in that room were anxious to hear his answer. "The truth is… I really love him… more than a friend. That's why I was completely hurt when I heard his decision to end his friendship with me…"

Stunned silence… and then…

"But even though I thought that Yuri was a human, I love him… even though it's forbidden. And I guess loving him now wouldn't mae any difference," he said sadly. "Yuri is a white mage—a race that's also forbidden to love a Mazoku…"

"People are just too foolish to create that law…" Erika suddenly stated that made Wolfram and the others change their focus. "Whoever created that law when it comes to loving someone, he's just someone who doesn't know the true powers of love. That's why he's hating everyone who loves someone that's of a different race from them. If Mama made it here to this meeting, she would say the same thing."

Wolfram just gazed at her and Murata was smiling.

"What are you trying to say, Erika?" the blond kindly asked.

"Races doesn't matter when it comes to two hearts in love," she answered. And then she stood up as she picked something from the pocket of her dress. From there, she handed him a folded paper—a bloody, folded paper, to be exact. It was the paper that Yuri was holding onto the day she found him severely wounded. She saw the fear in his eyes when he saw that. But still, she tried to smile just to remove that fear of his.

"Yuri was supposed to give that to you on the day of the incident because he wanted to talk to you. I guess it's better if you read this since this letter is actually addressed to you. Everything that Yuri wanted you to know was written here."

Hesitantly he took the paper from Erika's hand. And then the young woman gave a small bow.

"I have to go. I need to stay at the hospital for the night so that my mother could stay at home and rest," she said and then waited for Murata to come near her.

"Wait!" Wolfram suddenly exclaimed and then hurriedly left the room. The others were puzzled as to why would he act like that. And then after a few minutes or so, Wolfram entered that room again—this time, with something in his hands. He slowly gave it to her. "Before you leave, can you please give this to him?"

Though reluctant, Erika took it from him and then checked on it. She was surprised when she opened it. "A music box?"

"That was supposed to be my birthday gift for him last year. It's actually a magical music box. I hope… that could help him regain his conciousness."

She couldn't help but smile at the thoughtfulness she could hear from his voice. "I know he'll appreciate it since it came from you. Don't worry. I'll make sure he'll have this. And thank you… for understanding… And I'm sorry for causing you trouble…"

"You don't have to. At least, things are clear right now," he replied.

After that meeting, both Murata and Erika returned to Earth. Gwendal, Conrad and Gunter were happy about the outcome of the said meeting. And Lady Cheri was more than happy to find out something from Erika about her youngest son, Wolfram. She, of all, people, knew very well what it feels like to fall in love with someone she's forbidden to love since she fell in love and married Conrad's father who was a human. But still, their racial differences didn't keep them from falling in love with each other. And no matter what will happen now, she will be there for her son. And that's a promise she could definitely fulfill and keep.

She just hope that after this, everything would somehow turn out good…

…for Yuri and for Wolfram…

**

* * *

**

After all that commotion and revelation in the meeting room. Wolfram somehow felt relieved and renewed.

But still, he was hesitant to know what Yuri had written for him to know. That's because whenever he could see the blood on the paper, he could somehow imagine the physical pain that Yuri went through when he was about to get through him.

**X x X x X x X x X**

_I never had a chance to show you everything_

_As I look for a part of my life that's missing_

_And leaving you was the only choice I had_

_In order to find out everything I once had_

**X x X x X x X x X**

And after minutes of thinking, he decided to read it… for the sake of his love for Yuri that hadn't really faded for the past month. That's why he's immensely hoping that the letter could define everything yet hidden in his heart. His hands were shaking while opening it. But he had to gather all of his strength to read a letter that came from the man he loved… and he still loved him up until now.

**X x X x X x X x X**

_Should I really believe in a love that's true?_

_Why is leaving you made everything so blue?_

_Am I really doing this the right way?_

_For whose sake did I turn my back away?_

**X x X x X x X x X**

His tears couldn't help falling when he read the first two words written there after writing his name.

_I'm sorry…_

But the words that made him really cried was the words he had long yearned from Yuri to utter in front of him… The words he never thought he could hear from him.

_I love you so much… Wolfram…_

He never ever realized that, after all these years that he thought Yuri was only treating him as a friend, the man he loved also loved him… much longer than he himself had loved Yuri. Five years were nothing compared to ten years…

**X x X x X x X x X**

_Before, I tried to return to your side once_

_But a sudden truth had made my heart dance_

_You still love me in spite of what I did_

_And now I know what my heart really needs_

**X x X x X x X x X**

And that made him realize that he somehow made a mistake when he chose to leave Yuri a month ago despite the foreboding feeling that he felt just before he entered the portal.

After reading the letter, he cried harder. Yuri… Yuri really loved him so much in a way he never ever thought the said man would.

**X x X x X x X x X**

_Loving you is what makes my heart tough_

_Even if I had cried more than enough_

_But I swear I'll never leave you anymore_

_It's a promise that up in the sky will soar_

**X x X x X x X x X**

With all that realization, he decided to keep the letter as a part of the time capsule that he'll be making along with him. But before that, he decided to head to the Shinou Temple to pray and ask for the guidance from the protector of Shin Makoku.

**X x X x X x X x X**

_I want to return to you for a certain reason I know_

_That this time, I could be able to let it show_

_I can leave the life I know I'm going to have_

_To be able to return to side for the sake of our love_

**X x X x X x X x X**

At the very least, this was all he could do. He would pray for the health of Yuri and for the said man to regain his conciousness…

_Yuri… I'll be waiting for you… Please try hard to fight for your life…_

**

* * *

**

**I know that the course of this chapter's story became a fantasy but since I place the genre as general, I guess it wouldn't affect the story that much, right? And I'm really sorry for the way too late updating of this story since I've been extremely busy these past months that I've barely touch the keyboard and mouse of the computer not unless it's really necessary.**

**Anyway, please leave your reviews for this. **

**I'll post the last chapter as soon as I can… whenever that is. ^_^**

**

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**

_**Wolfram: **__I wanted to go back to be with the man I love who also loves me. I wanted to stay by his side forever no matter what hindrance may come between us… Our love will keep him alive and it's going to be our power for us to live with our dreams…_

_**Yuri: **__I wanted to go back… back to where everyone is… back to where Wolfram was surely waiting for me. I just couldn't leave it like this… I don't have the will to leave him without even telling him that I love him…_

_**Wolfram: **__Next time, For the Love of Yuri: The Final Chapter – Ask My Heart_

_**Yuri: **__This time, it's going to be a happy ending for the two of us… if you're going to accept it…_


	6. Ask My Heart

**CHAPTER SIX: **_**Ask My Heart**_

_Three months later…_

"Please, Mom… Please let me go there. I really need to go there for me to talk to him," Yuri begged to his mother that one morning.

Erika and Yuri talked just after he was finally discharged at the hospital. He stayed there for four months because of so much damage that he took during the surprise attack. For one and a half months, Yuri was in coma that made his mother completely distressed. Nevertheless, she never gave up hope.

Erika could still remember the half more month that she has to wait in order for Yuri to wake up from his stasis. After Wolfram gave her the music box, she was able to prove its own magic. For two weeks, she kept on playing it, hoping that the music from it would reach Yuri and let him see the way out of the dark. It was worth a try. And one day, she was completely happy that he finally woke up. Unfortunately, it was just half of the struggle that they need to face because what the doctors had originally feared happened.

Since Yuri's spine was quite damaged, his walking capability was completely affected. But even though it's like that, Yuri never felt down. Except for the fact that he wouldn't be able to see Wolfram since Erika told him that the blond finally went back to Shin Makoku without him knowing. He felt that he woke up for nothing since he has no one to come back to. Erika was hurt and Yuri somehow saw through that. And at that moment, he realized that Wolfram wasn't the only one he needed to return to. He still has his family and they're one of the many reasons why he came back.

And with that determination, he trained his legs to gain strength and power in order for him to walk again. But it took him full two months before he was able to walk again. It wasn't easy for him to do so but he managed to do it. The procedure of the medication wasn't really easy; it was actually quite painful. But even if it was really painful for him to bear, he never gave up hope along with the help of the music box and for one strong reason…

With the desire inside his heart to talk to Wolfram again, it was his reason why he managed to get up again… why he managed to regain his walking capablility.

"Please, Mom. Please let me go to Shin Makoku…" Yuri continued to beg to his mom. And that made Miko Shibuya sighed.

"But Yuri—"

"If you're still worried about the danger, you don't have to, Mom. It's already taken care of," Erika answered. "Besides, the other world is safe now because of the alliance and the peace treaty so you have nothing to worry about."

"It's not that I'm worried or anything… It's just…" But for some reason, Miko couldn't continue what she wanted to say.

But Erika just smiled and held her mother's hands. "It's fine, Mom. I promise. Yuri will be fine."

And with that, Miko just sighed once again and looked at her twin children—Yuri and Erika.

"Alright. I'll let you handle things, Ken-chan," she finally said, facing Murata.

Yuri's smile widened and he hugged his mom tightly because of that.

**

* * *

**

_Shin Makoku, same timeline…_

Blood Pledge Castle's soldiers and servants were busy preparing for the arrival of the Queen's guests. No one exactly knows who were these guests since Lady Cheri clearly stated it that it'll be a secret. And because of that, no one dared to ask her anything about it. Even her own sons doesn't know who the guests were, even though they believed it's someone they knew. Whoever that was, they will find out sooner.

The servants were done preparing when the guests arrived. But they're quite surprised to realize that the guest was the princess of the Kingdom of Castalia. Not just the servants, but the Queen's sons, as well. But still, Lady Cheri just projected a surprisingly happy and calm expression.

Erika and Murata were welcomed by Lady Cheri as soon as the two arrived at the Throne Room. The only ones there were Gisela, Gunter, Gwendal, Conrad and Wolfram. The two bowed to the queen as a sign of respect.

"Please forgive our sudden visitation to your kingdom, Cheri-sama," Erika politely said. "I hope we didn't cause any problem regarding that."

The said woman smiled. "You don't have to worry about anything concerning that, Your Highness. We did made a deal, didn't we? I just did my part."

"But why did you made your arrival here a secret, Erika?" Conrad asked the young princess. "Are there any reasons for that?"

"Well… The reason actually concerns on Wolfram…" Murata replied.

That statement made the said blond surprised. "Me?" Erika nodded and smiled. "But what do you mean by that?"

However, the said maiden didn't say anything. She just faced one of her attendants who was just standing beside her. "Saria, could you please bring _him_ here?"

The attendant named Saria bowed and left the room. And while they were waiting, Wolfram couldn't help but to ask Erika a question. "Erika, I want to know how's… Yuri. I want to know how he's dong and if he has recovered…"

"Princess Erika, he's here," Saria announced after a few minutes before she could answer Wolfram.

Everyone turned to where Saria was and from the door there, a familiar person came out that made Wolfram undeniably surprised and yet, incredibly happy at the same time.

"Y… Yuri…" he whispered as he tried to approach the said person but for some reason, he couldn't move his feet.

Yuri smiled at him as he walked towards the throne where Lady Cheri was sitting. He stopped beside his sister and faced Erika before looking at the queen. Lady Cheri smiled at him before speaking.

"You must be Princess Erika's twin brother," Lady Cheri said. Yuri nodded.

"I know that my twin sister revealed the truth to you about our family secret but I hope that didn't made you feel betrayed or anything for keeping it to all of the countries allied to your kingdom," Yuri said politely.

Lady Cheri gently shook her head and glanced at Wolfram, in which the latter noticed vaguely. "You don't have to worry about that, Your Majesty. Ever since the princess told the truth to us three months ago, we came to realize that your family had gone through so many hardships for us not to feel betrayed or anything similar to that. Everyone has secrets that they must keep and I know that it wasn't really easy for all of you to do that. But honestly, I'm glad that you're alright now," the queen said.

"It was all thanks to Wolfram's magical music box." And then she gazed at Wolfram for a short while before reverting it back to the queen. "His belated birthday gift to me somehow helped me came back."

The queen slightly smiled at that. "But what is the reason for you to finally come back to this world your mother made you try to escape years ago?"

Long silence filled the air. Everyone felt tense as they wait for Yuri to answer the queen's question. Even Erika and Murata were anxious to know the true reason why he insisted on coming to Shin Makoku sine he didn't really specify why. He just kept on insisting that he wanted to go.

It took a while before the young man answered.

"It's because… I wanted to tell all of you that I'm ready…" he said calmly. "I'm ready to take my place as the true king of Castalia."

Eyes widened at that announcement of Yuri. Erika was undeniably shocked at that, so she approached Yuri and asked him something.

"But Yuri, why all of a sudden? It's not that I don't want you to rule the kingdom. But you know that I could still fulfill my duties as a ruler. And you could still live as a human for as long as you wanted to."

"I know it's really sudden but trust me with this, sis. I know what I'm doing." And then he faced his sister. "Besides, it's about time that I should face the responsibility that was supposed to be imposed to me if a predicament had not separated the two of us. I'm going to continue everything that you had started for the benefit of our kingdom."

The princess just sighed heavily before gazing at her brother. "Fine…" And then she glanced at Wolfram. "But before you do what you wanted to do, weren't you supposed to talk to your 'best friend' and settle thing with him?"

"Yeah. But I want to do it in a private and peaceful place. If you don't mind, Cheri-sama."

The queen complied to Yuri's request. So Yuri and Wolfram left the Throne Room, walking together but there's a hint of awkwardness between the two. Murata and Erika couldn't help but to chuckle at that scene.

"Well, that's a sudden development," Lady Cheri commented. "To think your brother would finally accept the responibility of being a king…"

"But are you sure about leaving those two alone, Erika?" Murata asked her.

She just sighed and faced the door where Yuri and Wolfram went through. "No matter what might happen now, we should be prepared for anything. And I really mean _anything_…"

**

* * *

**

The two ended up in the garden personally taken care of by Lady Cheri herself. The whole time that those two walked from the Throne Room to the garden, they never said anything to each other. It's like one could feel that if one of them say something to each other, it would only increase the already tensed atmosphere between the two. And Yuri could only wish that Erika would be there to give him courage. But then he realized that having Erika control the situation would only make him a pathetic and a coward.

This was something the he has to deal with on his own.

As for Wolfram, he couldn't also figure out what to do and what to say now that Yuri was with him ang here in Shin Makoku. It was something he has always hoped for ever since he fell in love with him five years ago.

Both Yuri and Wolfram sat on the bench as they faced the flower bed. The wind blew soft and warm despite the heat from the sun, and it's something that made the two of them calm despite the uneasiness between them.

But one of them has to start a conversation or else, nothing will be settled. And Wolfram decided that he has to.

"I'm glad you're alright now, Yuri…" he said. _**Even though I know that it's partly my fault why you were hospitalized…**_ he added in his thoughts.

It took a short while before Yuri started speaking. "Thanks…" And then he sighed. "My sister said that… she gave you my letter addressed to you the time she told you the truth about my family. Is that true?"

Wolfram hesitantly nodded before facing him. He didn't realize, though, that Yuri was also facing him. So now, their gazes locked. And for a while, time seemed to have stopped.

"Did that made you realize about everything that I feel for you?" Yuri said after a few moments of looking at the blond. "I know you find it hard to believe after what I've done to you for the past ten years that we became friends and spent times together. But all of what was written there came from my heart… Everything came from here," he continued as he pointed his chest, to the part where his heart was.

"You want me to believe that… every word you had written in your letter… That's what you had stated in your letter, right? And I did. I always did. But then still, I couldn't stop blaming myself for what happened to you four months ago."

"It's not your fault, Wolfram…"

"I know. Erika said the same thing. But even if I did believe you, will that change everything that has happened between us?" the blond asked.

Yuri silently nodded and then looked at the sky. _**This is it, Yuri… You have to say it out loud now…**_ "That depends on how you answer my question…" he said, almost in a whisper.

The blond frowned at that statement. "I… I don't understand… What do you mean by that, Yuri?"

He heaved a heavy sigh before looking at him straight in the eyes that made the blond a little startled and nervous at the same time. "But before I can go on with that, would it be okay if I ask you something that's a little related to the supposed question that I'm going to ask you after this?"

"Y… Yeah, sure…"

"How exactly do you propose marriage according to your custom?" Yuri asked that made Wolfram caught off guard.

_**What did he just say? **_Wolfram thought. "What does that has to do with anything?"

"I'll tell you later…" Yuri said without any expression written on his face but sincerity. "But still, can you please give me an honest answer?"

Wolfram was still couldn't comprehend what Yuri was saying after all that. _**Why in the world would Yuri ask that to me?**_ But then he guessed that nothing would be lost once he answered his question. He sighed before answering… if that really helped him.

"There's an old custom here in Shin Makoku that slapping across a noble's left cheek actually meant a marriage proposal."

Yuri frowned. "A slap? But isn't it that a bit harsh just for a proposal?"

Wolfram couldn't help but to smile at that expression and answer of the man beside him. "Yeah, it is. But traditions can't easily be broken like that. It's something that has existed for a long time and all we have to do was to follow it." And then he looked at Yuri. "What about your custom in Castalia about a marriage proposal?"

"Even though I haven't seen my kingdom since I was only two days old, Erika and my mother mentioned a lot of things about Castalia."

"Including how to propose for a marriage?" Wolfram asked. But then he blushed at the fact that he must have asked that bluntly. "I'm sorry. I guess I've been to nosy about that."

"It's okay," Yuri said, smiling. "Even I became too nosy when I first learned that. But since they knew that I have no idea about our kingdom at all, they understood." Then Yuri stood up and stopped in front of Wolfram who was sitting at the bench.

He guided the blond to stand up, as well. Though it was a little bit fast, Wolfram could still recall what Yuri actually did. He pinched his nose slightly ang then joined their foreheads. At that time, both could feel their hearts beating fast and their breaths bruhing on their faces. Wolfram could see Yuri staring at his eyes hopefully and lovingly that made his heart race even faster.

And then Yuri spoke. "This is actually how a noble, especially the members of the Castalian royal family and court, propose marriage. They said that this way of marriage proposal means that they truly care for the person they love. This is to show their affection and sincerity to go on with the marriage."

Wolfram was completely caught off guard because of that revelation. _**So does this mean that Yuri was actually proposing to me?**_ That's what the blond taught, still unable to absorb all the words that Yuri just said a while ago. _**But how will I suppose to respond to this?**_

Just when he thought that hope was gone, a voice entered in his mind, as if answering his question regarding that.

_**Just kiss him…**_a voice said. Kiss? As in kiss on the lips?

_**That's right. It shows that you return the affection, and that's according to the Castalian tradition. You love Yuri, right?**_ That voice said it again. But where does that voice come from? And then he realized something.

That voice was kind of familiar… too familiar, to be exact.

In fact, the voice sounded a lot like… Erika's… It's like the maiden was actually helping him with this. That's why he smiled inwardly at the thought that Erika actually wanted him and Yuri to be together. And so does he.

So that's why…

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_I never loved anyone in this world that's so true_

_Like I have loved a person that I know is you_

_Love is something precious that I need to share_

_When time comes, I'm able to lend it with someone to share_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

Slowly but determined, Wolfram closed his eyes as he lean to Yuri closer… closer… closer… And then he felt that a warm sensation brushed his lips but he wanted to open his eyes even though that amazingly warm ang loving sensation wanted him not to. With that thought, he slowly opened his eyes only to have his emerald eyes softened at what he saw.

A kiss… An amazingly beautiful and careful kiss that he received from Yuri. It's as if he knew that he was going to accept the man's marriage proposal wholeheartedly…

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_You ask my heart if true love had ever been born here_

_In my heart, I know I hold you so precious and dear_

_For I'm sure it will answer only the truth inside_

_And I won't let it be conquered and taken by my pride_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

A kiss to answer a marriage proposal made a certain young black-haired man's heart overflow with joy he never thought he'll feel his entire life. And Yuri was completely glad that he made the right choice in coming back to the world that was supposed to be his home even though he felt that just staying in that vast darkness would let his heart be spared from the pain and guilt he suffered for what he did to Wolfram four months ago. But because of his undying love for the said blond man, he came back. He's home now. And now, with Wolfram who will stay by his side for his entire life, he's so sure that the most wonderful future he was about to have was right in front of him… kissing him…

After that, Yuri looked at Wolfram's surprised eyes and hugged him. Wolfram was undeniably happy at the realization that Yuri kept his words that he had written in his letter.

The man was willing to prove to him that he loves him and only him. And Yuri has a lifetime to prove that to him.

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_You ask my heart if I really do care about you_

_Coz I've never showed it in something that I do_

_But I can promise to you about one important thing_

_That I will care for you no matter what life will bring_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

But having Yuri by his side was already enough proof that the young man really meant what he said. And that made him believe that Yuri wasn't a wimp. He was never a wimp at all. He figured that out when Erika told the truth about her and Yuri's past… his sacrifices… his dedication and strength to protect what was left in their family…

And now, he figured that out again when Yuri came back just to be with him and was asked to marry him—in which he gladly accepted. In addition to that, Yuri accepted the responsibility of a king that an incident had made his mother imposed it to Erika nineteen years ago.

And he could tell that this was the Yuri that he came to love and will continue to love for the rest of their lives…

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_You ask my heart if I have loved anyone this real_

_But I'll answer your question with what I really feel_

_Only you are the person that I've loved this much_

_And I'll keep on proving it even if you don't watch_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

"Wolfram…" Yuri said in the middle of a very romantic scene between them.

"Hmm…?" Wolfram could only say.

"Does that mean you accepted me to be with you for the rest of our lives?"

Wolfram sighed and after a short while, he smiled. He returned the embrace lovingly. This was the kind of scene he had always longed for to happen between him and Yuri ever since he realized that he loved this man.

"I always wanted to accept you, Yuri. A long time ago, I always wished for this to happen. Just please don't let this end as a dream…" he said as he embraced Yuri tighter.

Yuri figured out what kind of emotion was feeling because he, too, was afraid that this was all a dream to both of them. But they wouldn't let fear destroy the future that's lying in front of them.

A future that his twin sister Erika had laid in front of them in order for them to have the life they've always wanted—a life that they're going to share together… for the rest of their lives.

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

_Just ask my heart if you ever feel unsure of my love_

_That I had saved and protected only for your heart to have_

_Maybe that way, your heart will never worry this much_

_If you'll never have my love that only you can catch_

**X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X**

"It's not a dream, Wolfram… It will never be a dream. I promise." And that really came from deep within his heart. He's going to fulfill that even beyond his grave.

"I love you… Yuri. I always have loved you more than you think," Wolfram said with a smile carved on his face.

And Yuri couldn't help but to smile, as well. "I love you, too, Wolfram. And I always will be. I promise that… from now till eternity…"

With that promise, the newly-blossomed couple shared another passionate kiss—sealing that promise under the rule of a force called…

…Destiny…

**~~THE END~~**

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**So that's the end of it. I really have so little free time during the past months that's why I never got a chance to update it the soonest time possible. So I really felt sorry for that.**

**I hope you like the story. It's not really my specialty writing a shounen-ai story but still, I hope you like it.**

**Please read also the story "**_**Love Chronicle At Shin Makoku: Tale of the Winds**_**" that focuses on the story of Conrad and an OC. I was planning to create a prequel of that story that focuses, of course, on the love story of Yuri and Wolfram. I hope you also read on that once it's posted.**

**Thank you… ^_^**


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